‘IIT faculty makes money in consultancy’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday denied IIT faculty’s allegation of interference in the functioning of the institutes and said neither he nor his ministry officials had ever interfered in the functioning of the IITs, be it in their consultancy work, syllabus or appointments.

But he made it clear that autonomy did not mean no regulation at all. “The government gives 100% funding and is answerable to parliament. We have to have some eligibility condition for entry and promotion in faculty. They (the faculty) are opposed to the eligibility conditions. This is unfair,’’ he said.

Justifying the criteria of assistant professor aspirants requiring to have a first class at undergraduate level, he said even the Fifth Pay Commission had made it a condition. Questioning the logic behind IITs’ opposition, he pointed out that it would only enhance quality.

Defending the government’s insistence on fresh PhDs joining IITs on contract for three years and before becoming full-time faculty members, he cited the example of his alma mater, Harvard Law School, and said it took years to get a tenure posting in any university the world over. Moreover, Sibal argued that three years on contract would be factored in and a person could become a professor in IITs in 10 years unlike the UGC system where it takes 15 years.

However, his argument has been disputed by the IIT faculty. “It will take 13 years to become a professor. After three years of contract, a person needs another six years to become an associate professor and then four more years to become a professor,’’ a teacher at IIM-Bombay said.

The HRD minister also did not see any reason for the faculty to be agitated over the government cap on only 40% professors with six years of experience at that level being eligible for the next academic grade pay of Rs 12,000 per month, introduced for the first time. He said the 40% cap was much more than the 3% cap recommended for all faculties by the Goverdhan Mehta committee. “In UGC, the cap is 10%, AIIMS 25% and in NITs 20%,’’ Sibal said. “There have to be eligibility conditions and pay bands.’’

Taking an indirect dig at the faculty, he said, “The salary is anyway an icing on the cake for IIT teachers who earn so much from consultancy.’’

HRD sets up panel to suggest ways for revamping school education
New Delhi: In move to promote public-private partnership in school education, HRD ministry has set up a roundtable consisting of educationists and representatives of the private sector. Though the mandate of the 11-member roundtable, which will hold its first meeting on Thursday, is to suggest ways in which school education can be revamped in the country, sources said, “The ministry wants a synergy between government and private sector. There are big plans in school education and such a roundtable will help thrash out issues.” The ministry has already proposed the setting up of 6,000 model schools. Of these, 2,500 will come up in the PPP mode. TNN