Bhubaneswar: Fourteen out of Odisha’s 17 government universities are functioning without regular Vice-Chancellors, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a question from BJP MLA Tankadhar Tripathy on the status of Vice-Chancellor appointments, the minister revealed that key institutions across the state have been operating with vacant top leadership positions for months—some for more than a year.
According to the data placed in the House, Khallikote University has been without a regular Vice-Chancellor since July 2023, while Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University has had the post vacant since October 2023.
Several major universities have also remained headless through 2024. Utkal University, Gangadhar Meher University, and Rama Devi Women’s University have had no regular Vice-Chancellor since October 2024.
Additionally, Odia University has been without a regular Vice-Chancellor since August 2025, while Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo University and Fakir Mohan University have remained vacant since July 2025. Vikram Deb University has lacked a Vice-Chancellor since August 2025, and the posts have also been unfilled at Law University and Rajendra University since April 2025.
Ravenshaw University, one of Odisha’s premier institutions, has been functioning without a regular Vice-Chancellor since March 2025.
The widespread vacancies have raised concerns over administrative continuity, academic governance, and decision-making across several higher education institutions in the state.
