More students, but where’s the faculty?

Innovative recruitment policies are needed to bring in the best brains

More than half the professorial posts in country’s central universities are vacant. Of the 2,426 sanctioned posts for professors across the central universities, 1,301 have not been filled, reveals data provided by human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar in the Lok Sabha. In February this year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) instructed vice-chancellors of central universities to prepare a time-bound plan for advertisement of posts, scrutiny of applications, and the selection and appointment of candidates for teaching positions but little seems to have changed.

One of the knee-jerk solutions that many colleges resort to is hiring ad-hoc and part-time faculty on a contractual basis at a fraction of the cost of regular employees. UGC regulations allow universities to hire ad-hoc and guest faculty against vacant positions to the extent of 10% of total positions. But in the absence of parity in pay-scales, leave benefits and perks that permanent faculty enjoy, most ad-hoc faculty end up doing a half-hearted job. The respect and esteem that our educators once enjoyed need to be restored. Universities need to think of evolving a strategy to hire the best people and offer them attractive salaries and working conditions to keep them motivated. A pay review committee, headed by UGC member VS Chauhan has recommended linking grants to universities with the vacant posts filled by them.

To encourage the return of best brains from overseas, a relaxation can be made for recruitment of assistant professors in universities and colleges. Those with a doctoral degree from institutions with a ranking among top 500 in the World University Ranking by Quacquarelli Symonds can be given a waiver of the national eligibility test. Unless steps such as these are tried out, the younger generation of talented students can’t be expected to return to Indian campuses as educators.