HINDRENCES RELATED TO RULES AND

REGULATIONS REGARDING EDUCATION,

APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHER AND SERVICE

CONDITIONS AND MEASURES TO OVERCOME THOSE

Ms Amita Marwaha*

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.

* Faculty Department of Economics Isabella Thoburn CollegeE 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

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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

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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

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 byCentral 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 operatingCosts are paid for by the state. The efficiency of fund utilization is very poor due toInternal rigidities.

• Salary and compensation for teaching staff is poor and, therefore, higher educationInstitutions are unable to attract and retain qualified and trained teachers. BesidesUnattractive compensation packages, recruitment procedure is lengthy and workingEnvironment 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 goabroad. In a recent move UGC has further damaged the pay and promotion prospectsof college teachers by reducing promotional grades thereby creating more stagnationAnd 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 bestInstitutions, Indian university curricula have lagged behind.

• Infrastructural facilities range from inadequate to dismal. Classrooms are oftenUnattractive and laboratories inadequately stocked, leading to poor teaching. It isestimated that barely 20per cent of the institutions have the basic minimum laboratoryEquipment.

• Steady electric power supply is not available. Laboratories are poorly stocked andComputerization, 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

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given by UGC for contractual workers/part time workers in relation to time period spent

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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