UGC mulling to introduce system for industry experts to teach as university faculty members
The University Grants Commission (UGC) plans to introduce a system that will allow industry experts to teach as full-time or part-time faculty members at central universities, according to an official. It has also been proposed that the experts be eligible for education in universities without a Ph.D or NET qualification.
The official said special positions will be created: professor of practice and associate professor of practice. Under the proposal, experts willing to teach can be hired as full-time or part-time faculty members, depending on what the university needs, the official said, adding that those who retire at age 60 are also eligible. come for these positions and will be able to work up to age 65.
This was discussed on Thursday during the meeting of the president of the UGC with the rectorates of the central universities. The UGC will form a committee to look into how this can be done and will submit its report, the official said. There are also plans to set up a portal that will act as a focal point for those wishing to apply to a university.
Delhi University professor Abha Dev Habib criticized the move, saying the government is “liberating itself from the pressure to give jobs to qualified teachers on a permanent basis”. “Teachers who have taught in recent years are not “experts” and cannot be made permanent or even shortlisted for permanent interviews (as is the case in many departments of Delhi University).
But people labeled as “experts” by BJP-RSS can be dropped into any system,” she said in a Facebook post. Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh tweeted: “A step towards decommissioning of higher education.” According to the UGC’s minimum qualifications for the appointment of teachers and other academics, a doctorate is mandatory to start as a professor or associate professor at a university.
