Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is preparing to recruit more than 1,400 professors and assistant professors across colleges and universities, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said on Saturday.

Govt explores alternatives amid SSB recruitment delay

The move comes amid delays in the recruitment process conducted by the State Selection Board (SSB), which had issued a notification in 2024 for faculty appointments. However, the process has remained stalled due to a case pending in court, leaving around 5,000 aspirants awaiting appointments.

Earlier, nearly 2,200 teaching posts were identified across various government-aided colleges. Aspirants have repeatedly held the state government responsible for the delay and have urged intervention, including seeking the Advocate General’s involvement to expedite the legal proceedings.

Addressing the issue, the minister said the government is now exploring alternative mechanisms to fill vacant teaching positions if the SSB recruitment remains delayed.

He assured that the vacancies would be filled soon and added that the government is committed to strengthening higher education by appointing faculty in a time-bound manner.

The development is expected to bring relief to thousands of candidates and address the shortage of teaching staff in higher education institutions across the state.

Notably, a total of 1,430 Professor posts are lying vacant in state-run universities in Odisha, Suraj had informed the Assembly in December last year. The vacant posts include 261 professors, 459 associate professors, and 710 assistant professors.