13 of 17 State-run universities soon to have regular VCs, says Odisha Governor 

State-run universities headed by officiating vice chancellors will soon have new permanent VCs, said Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Friday (October 17, 2025).

“The appointment of VCs was delayed due to lack of clarity in the Act. Now, the Act has been amended. We already have a set of selection panels. We hope the universities would have full-time VCs in next two to three months,” said Mr. Kambhampati during interaction with media here. Of the 17 State-run universities, as many as 13 universities do not have VCs.

He expressed concerns over large scale vacancies in institutes of higher education in Odisha. “The issue is being looked into and faculty recruitments would soon be streamlined,” said Mr. Kambhampati.

Last month, Orissa High Court sought a response from the State government regarding massive vacancies in institutes of higher education in Odisha.

According to a reply furnished in Odisha Legislative Assembly, a total of 1,404 teaching posts remain vacant across 17 state-run universities in Odisha, reflecting a severe shortage of faculty in higher education institutions.

The vacancies include 260 Professor, 453 Associate Professor, and 669 Assistant Professor positions. Ravenshaw University tops the list with the highest number of unfilled teaching posts, followed by Utkal University.

In addition to this academic shortfall, 2,286 non-teaching positions also lie vacant across these universities, further straining the administrative and academic functioning of Odisha’s higher education system.

Expressing concern over the broader challenges in the education sector, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das noted a worrying trend of student dropouts after Standard 10, particularly among tribal and female students. “The low female literacy among tribal communities is a cause of concern for everyone. There is a need to bring 10+2 classes to one academic campus to address this issue,” he said. On cases of sexual harassment against girl students, the Governor said that institutes of higher education were being regularly guided and Internal Complaints Committees had been formed in all universities. However, he stressed that greater social awareness was essential to curb such offences.