Baripada: Teaching staff shortage, a nagging problem in North Odisha University (NOU) at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district may be sorted out soon as the state government has directed the university authorities to fill up vacant posts.
The main campus of NOU is at Takatpur while its second campus operates from Suleikhama in Keonjhar. Staff crunch has been affecting studies in both the campuses. Students have staged protests over the issue several times in the past.
A total of 74 posts of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors have been lying vacant.
Taking the issue seriously, additional secretary of the higher education department issued a letter January 1, 2020, to NOU registrar Laxmidhar Mohanty stating that the department has given a go-ahead to appointment of teaching staff in the varsity. The university authorities have been told to fill up vacancies as soon as possible.
NOU was established July 13, in 1998. It was formally inaugurated by former Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang July 11, 1999. The university is spread over 98.84 acres while its Keonjhar campus started functioning at Suleikhama in 2015-16. The main campus offers eight regular courses and 15 self-financing courses.
The varsity is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Bar Council of India and Open & Distance Learning (ODL) programme of UGC. NOU is included in the list of Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi and Association of Commonwealth Universities, London. The university is accredited by NAAC with a B+ grade.
The territorial jurisdiction of the university extends to Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts dominated by tribal population averaging 63% of inhabitants.
As many as 93 colleges (general/professional) are affiliated to this university. Among them are three autonomous colleges, a medical college, a homeopathic medical college, an ayurvedic medical college, two BEd colleges, a special BEd college, five nursing training colleges and two law colleges.
Student unrest had erupted over various issues in the past. Some students pursuing integrated BEd and MEd had taken out a padayatra from Baripada to Bhubaneswar in November 2019 over their alleged ineligibility to sit for OTET, OSSTET and CTET examinations meant for teacher posts.
Earlier, girl students from the tribal community were upset over lack of facilities at their 100-bed hostel at NOU. They alleged that neither the university authorities nor ITDA has paid attention to the dilapidated hostel.