Bhubaneswar, 09 January (H.S.):A high-level committee constituted to address the issues of teachers, faculty members, and employees working under the School and Mass Education Department and the Higher Education Department met Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Friday . The committee was formed on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and is chaired by retired Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Kumar Tripathy.
During the meeting, committee chairperson Tripathy presented a detailed assessment of the concerns faced by teachers and staff working in universities and colleges under the Higher Education Department. He also discussed the various demands submitted by different teachers’ and employees’ associations and deliberated with the minister on practical measures for their effective resolution.
Key issues discussed included faculty skill development following the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, expediting the appointment of Vice-Chancellors and teaching staff in universities after the enactment of the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024, granting autonomous status to eligible colleges, and filling up long-vacant teaching and non-teaching positions in higher education institutions.
The meeting also focused on addressing the legitimate demands raised by various teachers’ and staff associations, strengthening administrative mechanisms, and making the higher education system more efficient, responsive, and accountable. The committee emphasized that timely decision-making and coordinated efforts are essential for reinforcing the state’s higher education framework.
Members of the high-level committee present at the meeting included Shantanu Kumar Sahu, Odisha Financial Service officer and Financial Advisor-cum-Special Secretary, Home Department; Sanatan Panda, retired Odisha Education Service officer; and Manoranjan Mishra, former Principal of Government Women’s College, Balangir, among others.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
