paper on hideranaces in highering teachers in higher education

HINDRENCES RELATED TO RULES AND
REGULATIONS REGARDING EDUCATION,
APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHER AND SERVICE
CONDITIONS AND MEASURES TO OVERCOME THOSE
Ms Amita Marwaha1
THESE are challenging times for higher education in India. And challenges are both
national and global. The national challenges arise out of the need for making the success
of the policy of social inclusion in the field of higher education. Since it has been, by
now, well established that there is a direct relationship between education and
development, pursuit of such a policy of social inclusion in the realm of higher education
would in turn lead to reduction of development inequalities which are part of our society
today. The challenges are global because in the contemporary world not only are nations
linked with one another in al walks of life-social, economical, political and cultural-but
there is healthy competition among them for emerging as world leaders in terms of
development. And here too the key lies in higher education, for it is in the domain of
higher education where production of knowledge takes place. And we know knowledge
is empowerment.
This symbiotic relationship between higher education and
development has always been recognized in India since very ancient times. The
establishment of very sophisticated institution of learning in India-equivalent to modern
university-is only one example of many that testify to the recognition of this significance.
Modern university system is the legacy of British rule in India. It was in the early
nineteenth century that some of the first colleges –many of them technical and medical
education-were established to impart education on western lines.
1
Faculty Department of Economics Isabella Thoburn College
E mail-facultyeco.itcollege@gmail.com
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The system of higher education needed a harder look at it after independence;
particularly it now needed to shed its colonial elitist character and be born again to fulfill
hunger and aspirations of ordinary Indians to be university and college educated. It was
with this perspective in view that government had appointed Radhakrishnan commission
in 1948.However as is evident from the observation of Radhakrisnan commission –and
all other commission since then-teachers are considered to be the lynchpins of higher
education and their scales of pay and service conditions are crucial to the success of
system.
In fact, if higher education is the key of our all round development, teachers seems to be
not only its prime movers but also its catalysts. If the pyramid cal edifice of higher
education needs to be strengthened both at the base and at the top-that is both in terms of
quality and quantity-simultaneously-then the right solution lies in not only recognizing
the pivotal role of teaching community in this process but also in rewarding them with
adequate incentives.
Indian higher education system is third largest in the world with over 14 million
enrollments of students and over half a million teachers. Teachers undoubtedly the most
decisive fulcrum of the system, have been getting hikes in pay scales and other associated
benefits, in varying forms and content, although anomalies and lopsided implementation
of the recommended package have been reality.
In this paper major items we will be concentrating on are hindrances in
appointments and service conditions in relation to various rules and regulations of
university teachers and various measures to overcome them.
STRENGTHS OF HIGER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDIA
India has significant advantages in the 21st
century knowledge race. Apart from being
third largest in student enrolment numbers, after china and USA, it uses English as a
primary language of higher education and research. It has long academic traditions. There
are small numbers of high quality institutions, departments and centers that can form
basis of quality in higher sector in higher education. The fact that the states, rather than
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the central government, exercise major responsibility for higher education creates a rather
cumbersome structure, but the system allows for a variety of policies and approaches.
WEAKNESS OF INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM.
Yet weakness far outweighs the strengths, India educates approximately 14% of its
young people in higher education compared with more than half in the major
industrialized countries. Almost the entire world’s academic system resembles a pyramid
with small high quality tier at the top and the massive sector at the bottom. India has tiny
top tier-none of its universities occupies a solid position at the top. India’s colleges and
universities, with just a few exceptions have become large, under funded, ungovernable
institutions .At many of them, politics have intruded into campus life, influencing
academic appointments and decisions across various levels. Under investments in
libraries, IT, labs and classrooms makes it very difficult to provide top quality
instructions or engage in cutting edge research.
The rise in number of part-time teachers and the freeze on new full time
appointments in many places have affected morale in the academic profession.
Bureaucratic inertia hampers change. Student’s unrest and occasional faculty agitation
disrupt operations-are the topics of public discussions on a day to day basis. Is it possible
to locate some key factors that can explain the mess that higher education in the country
finds itself in?
STATUS OF VACANCIES IN UNIVERSITIES
According to UGC report 2007-08 survey was conducted of all universities and colleges
governed under 2f and 12b of the UGC act. A total of 47 universities spread over 19
states responded, representing over 12.0% universities in the college. Among these 47
universities 10 were central universities, 29 state universities and 8 deemed universities
responded .likewise total of 1401 colleges (464 government colleges, 889 aided and 48
non aided )spread over 29 states representing over 10.0% of total colleges responded.
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Among the sample universities, vacancies at all level of teaching posts were
observed to be extremely high. More than 51.0% of vacancies in the universities were
reported to be lying vacant; the percentage was 53.0% for lecturers, 51.0% for readers
and 45.0% for professors. The adverse impact of this outcome on quality of teaching is
too obvious to be emphasized.
TABLE-1: VACANT POSITIONS OF LECTURERS, READERS AND
PROFESSORS IN SAMPLE UNIVERSITIES (ACADEMIC SESSION 2007-08)
Total Sanctioned Total Filled Total Vacant %Vacancy No of
Sample Colleg
2469 (P) 1367(P) 1102(P) 44.63(P) 45
4506 (R) 2194(R) 2312(R) 51.31(R) 46
9604 (L) 4503 (L) 5101 (L) 53.11 44
16579 (TOTAL) 8064 8515 51.36
The intensity of vacant positions varies markedly among the types of universities. The
state universities show very depressing scenario, for all positions; the overall level of
vacant positions is 58%, and it is much higher at the positions of Lecturers and Readers.
Inasmuch as around 90% of students in university departments are enrolled in state
university departments are enrolled in state universities, such a high incidence of vacant
positions is sure to be making a damaging effect on the quantity as well as quality of
teaching and research in universities in general and state universities in particular.
Somewhat surprisingly, even the centre universities suffer from shortage of teachers.
Overall 36% of faculty positions are lying vacant. Among the deemed universities, nearly
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one-third of vacancies are lying unfilled; the highest incidence of unfilled vacancies
being in the case of professors
.
STATUS OF VACANCIES IN COLLEGES
The situation is equally, if not more for colleges (table2) No fewer than 41% of positions
at the Lecturer level, and 18% of those at the reader level, are lying unfilled. The
situation in non-aided colleges is far more distressing, in this regard. As many as 52% of
vacancies at the entry level and 42% of those at the level of readers are lying unfilled.
Nearly 425 in government aided colleges, while, the corresponding figures for the
Reader-level positions are 19% and 16%, respectively.
In overall terms, the situation is rather alarming. Teachers in the universities and colleges
generate and disseminate knowledge through organic linkages with each other as also
with the students through a facilitating physical and academic environment. If a particular
university department or a college suffers from the shortage of teachers, the generation
and dissemination of knowedledge suffers and the quality of education is adversely
affected. Benefits available to those in service, in the midst of the acute shortage of
teachers, cannot compensate for the loss in the quality due to shortage of teachers. It is
therefore, essential that incentives given to a teacher should go hand in hand with the
filling of vacancy of teachers in universities and colleges. There should be tolerable zone
of vacancies, preferably within 5 to 10% of the sanctioned strength.
The ambitious plans of expanding the higher education sector during the eleventh plan
would remain substantially unfulfilled if the supply of teachers does not match the
expanding demand for them. The PRC firmly believes that all-out efforts to liquidate the
existing stock of vacancies, through attractive pack packages and better working /service
conditions, is the most essential first step. In particular, it is high time that many of the
state governments which are reported to have been clamping embargo from time to time,
under different pretexts, most noticeably the resource crunch, on filling up the sanctioned
vacancies, need to review their close fist policy, in their own interes.Raising the age of
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superannuation, uniformly for all colleges and universities, in all regions, and in all types
of institutions, is an equally inescapable policy step,tro reduce supply-demand gaps.
TABLE 2: Vacant positions of readers and lecturers in sample colleges (academic
session:2007-08)
Readers Lecturers
Number Sanctioned Vacant % Number Sanctioned Vacant %
of colleges of colleges
179 Government 1779 333 19 340 6101 2571 42
171 Aided 2018 317 16 609 12346 4988 40
09 Non Aided 150 42 28 36 814 423 52
359 Total 3947 692 18 985 19261 7982 41
PART TIME / CONTRACT TEACHERS.
Higher education system in India suffers from serious shortage of teachers. Shortage of
teachers has led to employment of part time or ad hoc teachers. Ratio of part time
lecturers is 0.24, for all types of universities put together ,0.32 for state ,and 0.20for
deemed universities; the system of part-time or ad hoc employment of faculty is nearly
completely absent in the case of central universities. In plain terms, in state universities
,there is one part-time, in state universities, there is one part-time or ad-hoc teacher for
every five regular lecturer in deemed universities. In the government-aided colleges, the
incidence of contract lecturer was the highest.
The manner in which such part-time or ad hoc or contract teachers are employed( a la
service break during vacation period for many appointees), the pittance that is handed
over to them in the name of monthly salary((although, in most cases, selected through a
properly constituted selection committee),and the long duration for which the Damocles
sword hangs over head ,made innumerable stories that the PRC picked up from series of
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its regional consultations. Pay review committee views this as a matter of great concern
and suggests state governments to fill up the vacant posts on a regular basis, both to
improve the faculty strength in universities and colleges which, in turn, would make a
decisive improvement on the quality of education.
In view of these irregularities, it is very difficult to select a deserving candidate
as a lecturer who can develop scientific temper and knowledge power among the younger
generations of the society .In the present context of globalization, lecturers can play a
vital role in shaping the intellectual brains for the development of knowedledge society.
But present recruitment system is not fair to select suitable competent candidates.
1. At present interview is the only criterion for recruitment, but for one or two
vacancies as many as two or three applicants are called and interviewed within 6
or 7 hours. It is impossible to judge the abilities and capabilities of a candidate
within the time span of two to three minutes.
2. There is lack of uniform criteria among different universities and colleges to call
candidate for the interview.
3. The dilution of NET as the compulsory criteria for the recruitment of the
candidates lowers the quality of lecturers selected.
4. There is lack of transparency and accountability in the in the lecturer s
appointment.
5. Since appointment notification is generally published in local /regional
newspapers a large number of aspiring candidates from other parts of the country
remain excluded from the appointment process.
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Box 3: Main features of Indian Higher Education system
• Highly bureaucratized system with multiple controls and regulations exercised by
Central and State Governments, statutory bodies (UGC, AICTE and others),
University administration and local management.
• System is heavily subsidized by the Government. Up to 90per cent of the operating
Costs are paid for by the state. The efficiency of fund utilization is very poor due to
Internal rigidities.
• Salary and compensation for teaching staff is poor and, therefore, higher education
Institutions are unable to attract and retain qualified and trained teachers. Besides
Unattractive compensation packages, recruitment procedure is lengthy and working
Environment not conducive to retention. As a result, a substantial proportion of high-
ranking students who could fill up such assignments prefer to work elsewhere or go
abroad. In a recent move UGC has further damaged the pay and promotion prospects
of college teachers by reducing promotional grades thereby creating more stagnation
And frustration amongst college teachers. (Economic Times, 15 November 2005).
• Most institutions offer outdated programmes with inflexible structures and content.
While course content has been updated and restructured over time in the world’s best
Institutions, Indian university curricula have lagged behind.
• Infrastructural facilities range from inadequate to dismal. Classrooms are often
Unattractive and laboratories inadequately stocked, leading to poor teaching. It is
estimated that barely 20per cent of the institutions have the basic minimum laboratory
Equipment.
• Steady electric power supply is not available. Laboratories are poorly stocked and
Computerization, where it exists is generally dependent on poor communication lines.
Conclusion-Higher education in India is catering to the need of 14 million youngsters in
india.With the goal of Expansion, accessibility and inclusiveness in the eleventh plan
retaining the talent in terms of qualified teachers at university level is imperative for
maintaining quality in higher education. Keeping these problems in view PRC has
recommended periodical salary hikes of permanent staff. Guidelines have already been
given by UGC for contractual workers/part time workers in relation to time period spent
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in colleges and minimum salary to be paid to part time lecturers. Being fully qualified
adequate salary should be paid to retain qualified staff.
References-
1) Ministry of Human Resource Development. Government of India (May 1986)
“National policy on Education-1986.
2) Program of Action –National Policy on Education 1986-Revised 1992.
3) University Grant Commission (National Policy On Education -1986) with
Modifications in 1992.
4) Directorate of Economics & Statistics of respective State governments and for
all India –Central Statistical Organization (31-01-08)
5) Data based on UGC studies -2009-10
6) National sample survey Organization-61st
ROUND (2004-05).
7) Ministry of Human resource development –Annual Report 2009-10
8) Report ‘The Committee to Advice on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher
education ’ -Dr.Yashpal committee report 2010
9) Article –Indian Higher Education 2: Dr. Satiprasana Dasthakur
10) S. Thorat: Emerging issues in Higher Education –approach strategy and action
plan in the 11th
plan.
11) Higher Education in India :Issues related Expansion ,inclusiveness quality and
finance .UGC ,NOV,2008
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