India, March 28 -- The higher education sector in Odisha seems to be facing a critical shortage of faculty members, with 1,353 professor posts lying vacant across 17 government universities in Odisha. The alarming figures were revealed in the Odisha Legislative Assembly by the Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Friday, raising concerns about the impact on the quality of education and academic standards in these institutions.

Faculty Crisis in State Universities According to the Minister's response in the Odisha Assembly, the total sanctioned faculty strength in these 17 universities is 2,027. However, only 674 professors are currently in position, leaving a major shortfall in faculty numbers.

The Odisha government has been ...