MHRD to Provide for 5000 Faculty Positions in Higher Education

The Ministry of Human Resource Development proposes to provide for 5000 faculty positions in the higher education under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) during the current Five Year Plan, ending 2017. Support will be provided to fill positions in the category of Assistant Professors or equivalent cadre against vacancies. A fixed amount of Rs. 5.8 lakh per year for each faculty position will be given by the Centre and any excess over and above this amount due to higher scales, grade pay or DA increase has to be borne by the State Government. The 99,000 crore rupee programme was approved by the Union Cabinet last month to boost the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 30% by 2020 from the present about 19%.

All the State universities will be eligible to receive grants under this programme. The recruitment process will have to adhere to UGC norms and regulations. The funding priorities are as follows:

• Commitments of States to take over the liability of faculty positions at the end of the scheme (after 5-8 years, depending on the year in which such positions are sanctioned).

• Priority will be given to those states where more recruitment has taken place in the universities and colleges during the last 3 years.

• Lowest number of unfilled faculty positions.

• Better student-teacher ratio.

• Priority will be given to new institutions.

• Second priority shall be given to those states which have a faculty-student ratio between 15:1 to 20:1.

• States with more than 20:1 ratio will have to first commit to sanction and fill positions to bring down the faculty-student ratio ration to 20:1.