Re-engage guest faculty, appoint new ones in varsities: Odisha govt

Bhubaneswar: The higher education department has allowed all state public universities to re-engage existing guest faculty members and appoint new guest faculty against vacant teaching posts as a temporary measure to address faculty shortage and ensure uninterrupted teaching activities.The department on Thursday informed university registrars that the recruitment process for regular faculty positions has already begun. However, proposals seeking approval for continuation of existing guest faculty and engagement of new guest faculty were received from various universities.Additional secretary Prativa Sahu said for maintaining uninterrupted teaching-learning activities, universities have been permitted to continue with the engagement of existing guest faculty members as per the previous order of the department issued in 2024. Fresh engagement of guest faculty against vacant teaching posts has also been allowed as a temporary arrangement for six months or till completion of the regular recruitment process, whichever is earlier.According to the directive, universities have been asked to upload on the HIMS portal the total number of guest faculty engaged under the previous order and the vacancies against which fresh engagement is proposed.The department further clarified that candidates selected under Mukhyamantri Research Fellowship (MMRF) scheme would be required to undertake teaching assignments for five hours per week for undergraduate students. Accordingly, while calculating workload requirements for guest faculty engagement, universities have been asked to duly consider the teaching contribution of MMRF scholars.