Bhubaneswar: In a bid to improve faculty strength and enhance the quality of higher education, the higher education department decided to create 36 new assistant professor posts in govt degree colleges, with a focus on institutions located in rural and underserved regions.Official sources said the move aims to address long-standing vacancies and ensure better teacher-student ratios, particularly in colleges outside urban centres where faculty shortages have affected academic delivery. The new posts will be distributed across multiple disciplines based on need assessments carried out by the department. The decision comes amid repeated concerns raised by students and educationists over vacant teaching positions, which have led to irregular classes and limited subject choices in several colleges.The new posts will be governed by the Odisha Education Service College Branch Recruitment Rules, 2020. The disciplines in which the new posts will be created are chemistry, philosophy, physics and zoology. Officials indicated that steps are being taken to expedite the process so that appointments can be made at the earliest.The colleges will include the new model degree colleges in Malkangiri, Rayagada, Deogarh, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Deogarh and Nuapada. Earlier, higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed that the VC appointments will be followed by filling up of vacant faculty positions.In another development, the department has notified recruitment of 225 librarians in non-govt aided colleges under it. The recruitment will be done through the State Selection Board.
