Bhubaneswar, 03 October (H.S.): Odisha Governor and Chancellor of State Universities Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati on Saturday directed vice-chancellors of state public universities to initiate the recruitment process for vacant teaching posts by the first week of November and complete it by the end of the month.

He issued the direction while chairing a meeting on the ongoing recruitment of teaching faculty at the New Abhishek Hall on the Lok Bhavan premises. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department Aravind Agrawal, vice-chancellors and registrars of state public universities, senior departmental officials and Lok Bhavan officials attended the meeting.

The Governor said filling vacant teaching posts was the next major challenge after the appointment of vice-chancellors in state universities. Referring to the appointment of vice-chancellors of 14 universities on a single day after he assumed office, Kambhampati said clear timelines should now be fixed for completing faculty recruitment.

“Merit should be the priority in the appointment of teaching faculty. Quality and merit cannot be compromised,” the Governor said, stressing the need to appoint the best available faculty.

Kambhampati suggested that universities call all eligible candidates for interviews instead of undertaking extensive shortlisting and scrutiny at the initial stage. He said this would ensure that eligible candidates were not excluded while providing selection panels with a wider pool of candidates.

The Governor also urged universities to pursue green certification, citing the platinum certification secured by Odisha Lok Bhavan from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). He said most universities already had substantial green cover and could obtain certification with additional efforts.

He also sought details from universities pursuing accreditation and proposed a common tenure for vice-chancellors across state public universities. “There are some universities where the vice-chancellor has a three-year tenure and some have four years. There should be a common tenure,” he said.

Kambhampati further urged universities to adopt solar power on their campuses either through their own initiatives or under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model.

Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj endorsed the Governor’s suggestions and asked vice-chancellors to set specific timelines for completing the faculty recruitment process.

During the meeting, Higher Education Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Aravind Agrawal made a presentation outlining the status of teaching faculty recruitment in state public universities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda