UGC looks to draft policy for hiring artistes as professors

Practising artistes like musicians, dancers and theatre persons could soon be recruited as professors once the higher education regulator drafts a policy in this regard, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has established an expert panel to formulate a draft policy to hire practising artistes, they said. India’s new education policy suggests integrating vocational education with general education, and strengthening collaboration between industry and academia collaboration in higher education institutions, UGC chairperson M Jagadeah Kumar said. “Towards this end, the UGC has come out with a new initiative to bring industry and professional experts into academic institutions through a new category of appointment called professors of practice,” Kumar said. At present, artistic professionals are mostly engaged as guest faculty or visiting lecturers in colleges, in case they do not have adequate qualifications as professors. There are likely to be three categories — eminence, which will be equivalent to a professor; a category for middle-aged artists equivalent to an associate professor; and emerging artistes. Priya Kanungo, a Hindustani classical vocalist and professor, welcomed the move. “If the course is practice-oriented, teachers with experience will help students,” Kanungo said. “It is important to have people who have both practice and theory in a subject like this. Usually, practising artistes have also studied theory, so that always helps.”