Reward scheme for university, college teachers proposed

The UGC is mulling a reward scheme for university and college teachers on the lines of the Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) being worked out for IIT and IIM faculty to encourage better performance.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) today started a two-day workshop on 'Human Resource Management Techniques in Indian Universities' to discuss and evolve a strategy on how the institutions will be able to retain their faculty and attract best talents.

"The conference will give a broad view on the HR management in our universities and if any review required to personnel policy and manpower planning. The vice chancellors will discuss and evolve a rational reward policy to encourage teachers who are doing exceptionally well at individual and institution level," UGC Secretary R K Chouhan said.  

The reward scheme will take into consideration the parameters of teaching and research and set standards in these areas. The scheme will consider whether the teachers need to get certain percentage of their basic salary as incentive.  At present, scientists at national level institutes, including ISRO, are getting PRIS under which they get upto 50 per cent of their basic salary as incentives.  

The HRD Ministry has announced that it would start similar scheme for the faculty of IITs, IIMs and NITs. The IIT directors are working on such a policy now.

The two-day conference will also discuss starting e-governance at the university level for smooth functioning of the institutions.  

The conference, being organised in collaboration with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), is being attended by about 120 vice chancellors from across the country.  

The conference would also discuss establishment of HR department in all universities and how to bring greater coherence to planning, policy making and practice.  

The HR management in universities assume significance in view of the institutions failing to get a good faculty. The Central Universities in India are suffering from 30 per cent vacancy of teachers.  

Similar is the situation in IITs and IIMs. The PRIS and reward scheme are expected to attract young talent to these institutions.