UGC’s bold idea: profs on contract

TheE University Grants Commission has come up with a bold proposal to ensure that college and university teachers remain on their toes: recr...

TheE University Grants Commission has come up with a bold proposal to ensure that college and university teachers remain on their toes: recruit them on a contract of three to five years.

This was suggested at a UGC meeting on October 31 where members argued that the ‘‘permanent nature of the teachers’ job is responsible for their growing complacence.’’

‘‘Contractual appointment is a regular practice in foreign countries and even in private sectors in our country,’’ said UGC chairman Arun Nigvekar. ‘‘But before applying it to the field of education, we want to get a thorough picture of the situation.’’

Story continues below this ad

For this, he said, the UGC has asked the National Institute of Educational Research and Planning to hold seminars and discuss the issue on a ‘‘larger scale’’ to understand the policy implications of such a decision.

Incidentally, in the US, university teachers have to show substantial work—both in the classroom and in original research—before their tenure is formalised.

Predictably, teachers’ associations aren’t pleased. Already smarting under the High Court rebuff on increased workload, they feel that this is a follow-up to the Mukesh Ambani-Kumarmangalam Birla report on Policy Framework for Reforms in Education.

One man who has sent a letter to the UGC chairman asking him to review the decision and ‘‘withdraw it immediately’’ is S S Rathi, chairman, Academics for Action and Development. ‘‘We are sure that the UGC along with the government is moving towards privatisation of higher education in India,’’ said Rathi.

Story continues below this ad

The Ambani-Birla report, submitted to the PM’s advisory council on trade and industry, had called for Government’s participation to improve literacy, primary and secondary education while leaving higher and professional education to the private sector.

It had also called for the Government to reduce funding of universities making them adopt the ‘‘self-sufficiency’’ route. A section of teachers also alleges that the teachers-on-contract is a sell-out. Says Anil Sadgopal, a Delhi University teachr: ‘‘The UGC is selling India to globalization, bit by bit.’’

Nigvekar dismisses these allegations. ‘‘Globalisation is not a trend exclusive to India. We are all the part of this change and I think the allegations and accusations are because of the apprehension to change. It is a revolutionary metamorphosis and people are obviously against any change,’’ he said.

Besides recruiting teachers on contract, the UGC has also proposed that it might bear the liablity of 20% of posts in state universities. At present, the UGC takes charge of state universities for only the first five years.

Story continues below this ad

‘‘We have observed that state governments are not very keen on fostering the state universities. So we are trying to find ways to persuade the governments to take active participation in higher education,’’ said Gurbaksh Singh, Joint Secy, UGC.