Sunday, October 4, 2009

IIT Professors succeeded to convince directors and Prime Minister's principal secretary TKA Nair about their concern of flexibility.

The IIT faculty on Saturday managed to convince the directors and Prime Minister's principal secretary TKA Nair that without flexibility the IIT system will lose it's novelty.

While the directors agreed to set up two committees to look into their demands, Nair promised to convey the concerns of the faculty to PM Manmohan Singh.

After a fruitful meeting with the directors, the faculty members met Nair in the evening and told him that there is an apprehension in IITs about losing flexibility. "Flexibility has allowed IITs to achieve so many things. We should be allowed to retain that," M Thenmozhi, president of the All India IIT Faculty Federation told TOI.

She said Nair was also appraised about the faculty's meeting with HRD minister Kapil Sibal and IIT directors. She said, "We also told him that it is important that a better pay package be given at the entry level to attract the best talent."

In the three-hour-long meeting of faculty federation with IIT directors, it was decided that the first committee would evolve the criterion for promotion of 40% professors to the senior grade. The second committee would evolve the modalities for implementation of the Performance Related Incentive Scheme.

As for the three years' mandatory experience for the job of assistant professors, it has been decided that the IIT directors will bring up the issue in the meeting of the IIT Council that will take place on October 19. A whole gamut of issues, including medical facilities for the teachers after retirement and improving the number of foreign students in IITs, will be discussed in the council meeting.

Stressing that the faculty and directors are not at loggerheads, director of IIT-Kanpur Sanjay Dhande said the committee that would look into the promotion of professors is likely to submit its report in four to six weeks and the committee on PRIS would come up with its recommendations in two months.

After meeting the representatives of Faculty Federation, Dhande said the recommendations of the first committee would form the basis on which a "professor will move from Rs 10,500 academic grade pay to Rs 12,000 academic grade pay". Dhande said steps would be taken to ensure that bright young people join IIT faculty.

The IIT faculty has been saying that the provision for contractual appointment at the entry level will not attract young people to join the faculty.

"We want to have young people. We have been attracting the best talent so far and should continue to do so," Dhande said.

President of IIT Delhi Faculty Forum Prof S S Murthy demanded that the academic grade pay of the IIT faculty, which was slashed by Rs 500 after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, should be restored. "Though it would be a mere gesture, it would nonetheless be a big thing for the IIT faculty," he said.

Source : Times of India.

13 comments :

Unknown said...

Prof S S Murthy is right. By depriving IIT faculty by Rs 500 in AGP how much money Central Govt will be able to save? As a good gesture Kapil Sibal should agree for the academic grade pay recommended by Prof G Mehta, though that was also much lower to the expectation of the IIT faculty.
IIT Teachers Federation should stress upon this point as well.
Similarly there should be a provision for the automatic upwards movements for Associate Professor after 3 years of service in the same lines as for Asst Professors to associate Professors and from Professors to senior Professor.

Unknown said...

It seems IIT teachers Federation is only worried about 40% cap for Professor's AGP 12000. They do not seem to be concerned about the middle order i.e. Assoc Prof and Prof. who have been deprived of the AGP recommended by Mehta ommittee. Further there is no automatic upgradation only for the Assoc Prof.
Asst Prof with 6 years exp will automatically move to Assoc Prof and Prof with 6 years exp will also move to Senior Prof , What about Assoc Prof? Are they not IIT faculty? They are being left in learch. At least AGP 10000 for Assoc Prof and 11000 for Prof should be secured in the negotiations with MHRD/ PMO.

All Assoc Prof and junior Prof should also raise their voice.

Ravi said...

Dear Prem

I am not able to understand your comment "Asst Prof with 6 years exp will automatically move to Assoc Prof". I cant see it anywhere in MHRD notification.

Unknown said...

On September 24, the strange phenomenon of a “working day fast” was observed in the campuses of the Indian Institutes of Technology by professors protesting against proposals for the IIT system issued by the Ministry of Human Resources Development.

While the stand-off at the IITs has come to an end for now with talks held on Gandhi Jayanthi, the protest led by the All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) has induced serious discussion on the importance of faculty and institutional autonomy in the higher education system.

“The teaching faculty is the most important component of the education system,” says former director of IIT-Madras P.V. Indiresan. “It is important to make sure that they are paid adequately and treated fairly.”

Weighing in on the debate on paying IIT professors more than those of other colleges, he says that apart from the research opportunities, there were always perks including research facilities, housing, and other perquisites that made the pay of IIT professors more attractive than that of other professors.

He says that it was unfortunate of IIT faculty to have undertaken the so-called September 24 protest. “If they feel they are good enough, they can always join other institutions. This was unnecessary,” he says.

[This view was also shared in public by Padma Shri awardee and professor of Electrical Engineering at IIT-Madras Ashok Jhunjhunwala. Prof. Jhunjhunwala opined that the matter could have been resolved in-house through negotiations instead of “bringing down the prestige of the IITs.” The AIIITFF has issued a White Paper stating that the “working day fast” did not lower the dignity of IITs. It insisted that the issue was of pay and autonomy, and also that the faculty had worked while being on fast on that day.]

To make the higher education system more efficient, he calls for an open negotiable system of paying professor’s salaries as he says is done in the United States. “If they have the freedom to negotiate with the institution, over time, professors will be paid based on their ‘market value’ fairly,” he opines.

On the issue of autonomy, M. Anandakrishnan, chairman, board of governors, IIT-Kanpur, says that the Ministry has rarely interfered with the working of the IITs. The Ministry’s proposals would have been discussed by the chairmen of the boards of governors and directors of the IITs before they would have taken effect. He says that institutional autonomy is key to the higher education system. “The Goverdhan Mehta Committee made a slew of recommendations both on pay and autonomy. The Committee visited and sought the views of all the IITs, NITs and many other institutions. It also suggested that both Centre and State universities should have similar structures and pay scales.” At the same time, he justifies paying IIT professors more than those at other institutions. “If you go to private engineering colleges, you can see that there is a difference in the quality of the faculty. It is important to recruit the best and also to keep them at that level,” he says.

He says that the difference in quality is also caused by more interference in State universities. A former vice-chancellor of Anna University, Dr. Anandakrishnan says, “In State colleges and universities, there is more political and other interference. In contrast, there is barely any interference by the HRD Ministry in the affairs of the IITs. That is one of the reasons why the IIT system has functioned so well.”

Keywords: 'working day fast', Indian Institutes of Technology, professors, IIT system, Ministry of Human Resources Development, All India IIT Faculty Federation, AIIITFF, faculty, institutional autonomy, higher education system, former director of IIT-Madras, P.V. Indiresan, research opportunities, research facilities, housing, perquisites, professor of Electrical Engineering, IIT-Madras, Ashok Jhunjhunwala, M. Anandakrishnan, chairman, board of governors, IIT-Kanpur
Source: The Hindu

Unknown said...

Dear Prem Sir

Dont spread rumors.. how an "Asst Prof of IIT with 6 years exp will automatically move to Assoc Prof".

Unknown said...

Univ. faculties (like sspplm) get their salary without completing any course in their classses. No need to do any research....After certain years, they will be promoted Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and then professor. In the name higerer eductaion, most of them are equal to white elephants in our countries. I can give examples...Students who has applied in universities, are yet to receive their registration number after 4/5 years of registration. All universtities are corrupted from clerk to top.
Even if faculties can change rules/regulation in order o keep their childern in top 10 !!! It is disgusting and one sample is sspplm.

Unknown said...

Dear Siva

What u think about Prem's comment
"Asst Prof with 6 years exp will automatically move to Assoc Prof"?

I dont expect such an irresponsible statement by him.

Unknown said...

boss.. there is no hope left now.. today, director told us that option forms will be out within couple of days.. whatever have notified by now is final word by word.. thats what life is all about..

Unknown said...

Dear All,

The contribution of IITs in Indian technical education is remarkable and no one can challenge.
The AIIITFF must ask the government to implement the Goverdhan Mehta Committee report for all the IITs, NITs and many other institutions because Committee made a slew of recommendations both on pay and autonomy. The Goverdhan Mehta Committee justifies paying IIT professors more than those at other institutions.
But it seems that AIIITFF has lost his ways somewhere and only concentrated on few issues mainly 40% cap for professors. These issues are important but not on the cost of brand of IITs.
Can AIIITFF take some initiatives to pressurize government not to politicize the Technical Education by over ruling the learned professors committee (Goverdhan Mehta). There is no need of such committee if MHRD officials can bring unbalanced draft for pay revision which certainly going to spoil the educational excellence of institute of national importance.

Unknown said...

Siva and Panky,
Thanks for your sensible blogs after long days. Siva, you are partially correct. Many of the universities failed to fulfill their expectations. The administration of many of the universities are poor, politically influenced and pressurized. The reasons behind these have been investigated and some universities are trying to eradicate these. I am lucky to see the IIT administration, being a student, scholar of a premier IIT and now as a collaborator. The administration is free of any political influence, more smooth etc etc. BUT WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF A SINGLE IIT. HOW MANY GOOD RESEARCH JOURNAL PAPER DOES COME OUT FROM AN IIT DEPARTMENT. Almost every IIT has a unit called SRIC. Can you say how many international patents are filed out from any of the SRICS of an IIT. BIG ZERO.

Siva and Panky: I dont know have many years of experience do you have in IITs, whats your specialization are. But my personal observations with working in IIT in several capacities, I found that compared to the amount of funds the faculties received from various sources for research purposed, the OUTCOME IS BIG ZERO. On the other hand, in university system, inspite of lots of problems, the faculties try to their best capability to carry out the research.

Anyway, I appreciate the true spirit that your federation has showed.
Thanks and Regards

Ravi said...

DEAR sspplm

You sound like most learned person of this universe. May i know your credentials? Let me first see your bio data. Then I will tell you, what I and my colleagues at IIT are doing in research. However, if you dont come with your real identity, i would not like to say even hi to a person having attitude of knowing everything and ridiculing others.

Dear Panky

You need not to get disheartened. I assure you that outcome of Directors meeting with Sibal will be PB4 for all existing assistant profs at joining itself.

Unknown said...

Comparing IIT & university systems

Comparing IIT system with university system is like comparing ponds with oceans. The water may be sweet in ponds but its contribution to life is comparatively miniscule. The university system, with their innumerable problems, contributes tremendously to the education system. It deals both with horses and donkeys. That is why the minister said about IITs that you are as good as the students you get.

However, it is necessary that both the systems are nurtured properly. IIT faculties should be paid good amount but there should be a system to reward good teachers and researchers of university system.
All of us owe to the university system. Where from our fathers and mothers or school teachers were educated? Where the first faculties of IITs form came? If the ranking of engineering colleges published in Current Science is seen Jadavpur University, with very meagre resource ranked higher than IITR & G. Then what should be the salary of faculties of JU? The IItans need not downgrade others to show them up.

The discussion in this blog still now has been low in quality and intelligence. Some are using abusive languages. Some are continuously talking about fate of their own grade. No vision for improvement for higher education. Hope this will change in future when some wiser bloggers join.

Unknown said...

Dear Friends,
Can any one of you following closely all the developments, pl. clarify the following on IIT pre-06 pensioners?
I voluntarily retired as Assistant Professor, with Ph.D., long back in 1990. Hence what I say below refers to Astt profs only.
For working Assistant Profs., they will be placed at 30,000+AGP, and move to PB4 after 3yrs of service and Ph.D.as per latest MHRD order, as far I could understand it.
What about pensioners who retired from the same cadre, like me, after putting in more than 3 yrs service and with Ph.D.?
Their pension may be fixed at 50% of any one of the following levels, as it appears to me from various comments, orders which are quie vague in this respect.
1. Min of PB3, as Astt prof scale will fall into PB3, as per Central Govt. pension fitment guidelines for all its employees, whatever may be starting point of a working employee.
2. 30000+8000=38000, prescribed as the starting point.
3.Min of PB4, i.e., 374000+8000=45400, promised by hon. Kapil Sibal for astt profs, but not actually in the final MHRD order, which stipulates 3 yrs, only after which he moves PB4.
I would be most thankful if any one can thrw some light on this plight of pensioners.

All the information published in this webpage is submitted by users or free to download on the internet. I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this page and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. All the other pages you visit through the hyper links may have different privacy policies. If anybody feels that his/her data has been illegally put in this webpage, or if you are the rightful owner of any material and want it removed please email me at "shyamali00@gmail.com" and I will remove it immediately on demand. All the other standard disclaimers also apply.

Blog Archive