(a) the reasons for shortage of faculty in Central Universities;
(b) whether contract, adjunct and visiting faculty as well as using the online mode of teaching were being pressed in to overcome these shortages and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the steps being taken by the Government to improve the quality of teaching including training of teachers at multiple levels and collaborations with foreign universities for teacher exchange programme? |
| ANSWER |
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) The main reasons for the shortage of faculty in Central Universities, inter-alia, includes:
i) The expansion of the capacity of existing Centrally Funded Educational Institutions (CFEIs) due to implementation of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.
ii) The establishment of new CEFIs and their operation from temporary campuses.
iii) The slow pace of development of permanent campus of the newly established CEFIs.
iv) The remoteness of the new locations of some of the CFEIs.
v) Non-availability of suitable candidates, particularly at higher level.
vi) Litigation in certain cases.
(b) Central Universities are adopting different methods/ process to address faculty shortages in order to ensure that studies of students are not affected, which inter-alia, include hiring ad-hoc faculty, Guest faculty, Contract faculty and Re-employed faculty. The details of faculty employed in 39 Central Universities under the purview of UGC on adhoc basis, Guest Faculty, Contractual and Re-employed is as under:-
Adhoc Guest Contract RE- Total
Faculty Faculty Faculty employed
235 1975 576 136 2922
Further, two modalities have been evolved for their engagement with the university system: The “Adjunct faculty” route for younger and mid-career professionals within the target groups, and the ‘scholar-in-residence’ avenue for senior professionals and specialists.
The UGC has sanctioned 5 Adjunct Faculty positions for each Central University. The UGC has also framed the guidelines for empanelment of Adjunct Faculty in Universities and Colleges. These guidelines enable higher educational institutions to access the eminent teachers and researchers who have completed their formal association with the University/College, to parti- cipate in teaching, to collaborate and to stimulate research activities for quality research at M. Phil and Ph.D. levels; and to play mentoring and inspirational role.
(c) Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission has been launched on 25.12.2014 which envisages to address comprehensively all issues related to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation, & professional development, curriculum design, designing and developing assessment & evaluation methodology, research in Pedagogy and developing effective Pedagogy.
The UGC (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012 had been notified in the Gazette of India dated 21st September, 2013.
UGC runs the Scheme of Raman Fellowships for Post Doctoral Research in USA. Young Indian researchers employed in Indian Universities/Colleges can avail this scheme.
UGC has also collaborations with foreign countries such as USA. UK, Isreal, Norway and New Zealand for Joint Research, Under these Joint Research programmes, there are provisions for exchange of teachers/ researchers who are the project participants. These programmes which facilitate exchange of teachers have bearing on the quality of teaching as well. |
|
|
