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CAG report says Odisha’s oldest university failed to provide placement to students
The report said Utkal University spent only ₹0.29 lakh of ₹17 lakh it received since the Placement Cell was started in March 2017.
On a day Utkal University, the largest and oldest state-controlled university of Odisha improved its ranking in National Institutional Ranking Framework from 96 last year to 87 this year, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India said the university has failed to provide career counselling and placement to students.
The CAG report titled “Outcomes in Higher Education in the State”, tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday said Utkal University spent only ₹0.29 lakh of ₹17 lakh it received since the Placement Cell was started in March 2017.
“There was less than optimal functioning and, in many cases, there was a complete absence of placement and career counselling cells and job fairs at test checked universities and colleges. On an average, 26.10 per cent (2014-19) students of the university could get placements through placements cells/job fairs,” the report said.
The CAG report said that for improving the performance of students in the Civil Services Examination, the university received ₹30 lakh and conducted training for two batches comprising 60 students each in 2017-18, however, none of them qualified in the Civil Services examination. It was observed that the scheme was initiated without a detailed implementation plan as the university had neither appointed a course coordinator for the coaching centre nor engaged professional trainers,” the report pointed out.
The CAG audit was conducted between October 2019 and January 2020 covering the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19 at Utkal University and North Odisha University, both state-controlled universities. Out of a total 299 colleges under these universities, 32 were selected for test check.
The audit report pointed out that Utkal University and North Odisha University facilitated the placement of 1,089 and 70 students respectively through job fairs. In Utkal University, of the total enrolled students, the percentage of students who qualified in different competitive examinations ranged between 2.23 and 27.10 per cent during 2014-19, except in 2015-16 when it was 40.19 per cent. The CAG has said that on average, 26.10 per cent (2014-19) students of Utkal University and 3.79 per cent (2014-19) students of North Odisha University could get placements through placements cells/job fairs.
The report said in Utkal University, against a sanctioned strength of 232 teachers, only 144 were posted while in North Odisha University, against a sanctioned strength of 67 teachers, there were only 44 teachers.
Incidentally, Odisha higher education minister Arun Sahoo on Thursday told the state assembly that at least 1,007 teaching posts were lying vacant in the state with Ravenshaw University having the maximum number of vacancies at 188, followed by 126 in Rajendra university, 112 in Kalahandi University, 101 in Rama Devi Women’s University in the teaching category.
Similarly, 80 teaching posts in Berhampur University, 76 posts in North Odisha University, 66 posts in Gangadhar Meher University, 61 posts in Sambalpur University, 42 posts in Fakir Mohan University and 29 posts in Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University were vacant.
The CAG audit said there was no long term vision on the part of the department of higher education of the state to provide a continuous supporting mechanism for the students and improve results.
“Curricular aspects are the mainstay of any educational institution and include curriculum design, development, enrichment, planning and implementation. Syllabi of 18 out of 42 subjects in Utkal University and North Odisha University found that syllabi of 15 subjects were not revised, though due for revision. In North Odisha University, only a quarter of courses focussed on employability and not a single value-added course was introduced in any of the test-checked higher educational institutions,” the report said.
