Withdraw amendments to UGC regulations: Left

Four Left parties on Monday urged the Human Resource Development Ministry to withdraw the third amendment to the UGC regulations, saying it will adversely affect quality education.

"We perceive the withdrawal necessary in the interests of Quality of Teaching and Research as well as equity between various social groups and classes," the parties said in a joint statement.

The statement was issued by the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party.

It said the provisions of the notification would have negative repercussions.

The statement said that tutorials had been excluded from the definition of "Direct Teaching" and the importance of practical in Science subjects had been devalued.

"This will effectively increase the per-teacher workload in institutions and adversely impact on quality.

"It will also render thousands of teaching posts surplus and directly affect the livelihood and job-prospects of young academics and researchers."

The Left said the Lecture-centric approach to workload was at variance with academic practice in renowned universities globally.

"It hampers active teaching-learning and does not allow teachers to address the individual learning needs of the pupils.

"Experience of the API system of quantifying teachers' work in points has shown that it has worked against quality by encouraging spurious research to collect points.

"It has simultaneously become a means to deny promotion to lakhs of teachers and degrade their service conditions.

"This will result in the flight of academic talent from Indian universities and colleges. The API system as a basis for promotion, therefore, ought to be given up."

The statement said that linking student-feedback to promotions of teachers may become another way of reinforcing prejudices rather than eradicating them.

--IANS

mr/vd