Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Higher Education Department has decided to introduce a centralised Facility Management Services (FMS) system in government colleges and teacher education institutions across the state, marking a significant shift in the management of non-academic support services.
In an official communication issued on Wednesday, the department announced that the existing system of engaging manpower through multiple outsourcing agencies will be discontinued. Instead, all support services—such as housekeeping, security, maintenance, and allied functions—will be brought under a single, centralised framework to be implemented and finalised by the Higher Education Department.
The directive, issued by Joint Secretary to the Government Santi Sudha Patra, has been circulated to the principals of all government colleges and teacher education institutions. As part of the transition process, the department has asked institutions to submit detailed information regarding their manpower requirements.
The move aims to streamline and standardise the deployment of personnel engaged in essential non-teaching services, thereby improving efficiency and ensuring uniformity across institutions.
The required data is to be submitted through a designated Google Sheet available on the Higher Education Management Information System (HIMS) portal. Institutions have been directed to complete the submission by July 3, 2026. The matter has been marked “most urgent” by the department.
The information collected will be used to assess the overall manpower requirement across government colleges and teacher education institutions, which will form the basis for implementing the proposed centralised facility management model.
