Bhubaneswar, Sep 19: A total of 1,404 teaching positions remain vacant across 17 state-run universities in Odisha, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj informed the State Assembly on Friday.

Breaking down the vacancies, the Minister said they include 260 posts for Professors, 453 for Associate Professors, and 669 for Assistant Professors.

Ravenshaw University is facing the most significant faculty shortfall, with 161 teaching posts unfilled — including 22 Professors, 54 Associate Professors, and 86 Assistant Professors. Utkal University follows closely with 136 vacancies, comprising 38 Professors, 49 Associate Professors, and 49 Assistant Professors.

In addition to the academic staff shortage, the Minister revealed that 2,286 non-teaching posts are also lying vacant across the same universities. Utkal University tops the list with 779 vacant non-teaching positions, followed by Berhampur University with 258 and Ravenshaw University with 199.