Hiralal Barman, an RTI activist, had filed an RTI seeking information from the office of the Joint Secretary, Eastern Regional Office of UGC about those teachers who availed the Teacher Fellowship programme but haven’t completed their degrees. UGC had forwarded the application to all the 374 colleges in the state of which only 37 colleges replied. The information from the colleges revealed the names of 10 teachers who have not completed their M Phil and PhD degrees. These teachers after receiving money had gone on leave for a specified period and drawn full salaries.
“It is strange the UGC never asked them (the teachers) to return the public money which they had availed but never utilised,” remarked Barman.
After this startling revelation the authorities started taking action, while these 10 teachers have been asked to refund the money given by UGC, the remaining 337 colleges which have not provided information in the matter have been sent showcause order by the Central Information Commission.
“Why penalty should not be imposed upon them (these 374 colleges) for not responding to the RTI application within the mandatory period,” said Annapurna Dixit, the Central Information Commissioner.
It is to be noted that Barman did not get the information after filing the RTI within the stipulated time of 30 days; he then filed a complaint to the appellate authority of the UGC. With no response, Barman finally went to Central Information Commission and then he was called for a hearing on December 31 last year.
Meanwhile, the UGC authorities who have been given showcause notice continue to claim that they had forwarded Barman’s application the delay occurred at universities end.
UGC’s Faculty Improvement Programme is a scheme under which the Commission provides financial assistance of 10,000 per annum along with travel allowance for award of “Teacher Fellowships” for doing M.Phil. or completing Ph.D. to permanent teachers of those Universities and Colleges which are included in the list maintained by the UGC under Section 2(f) and 12 (B) of the UGC Act, 1956. The objective of the scheme is to provide an opportunity to the teachers of the Universities and Colleges to pursue their academic/research activities leading to the award of M.Phil./Ph.D., degree.
The names of the 10 teachers revealed in the RTI reply:-
*Dilip Kumar Mondal of Barjora College
*Deepak Giri of St Joseph College
*Anuradha Lahiri of Birbhum Mahavidyalay
*Probodh Kumar Ghosh of Garhbeta College
*Apurbo Kumar Roy of Deshbandhu Mahavidyalaya
*Jayashri Mukherjee of Birbhum Mahavidyalaya
*Swapna Sen of Syamsundar College
*Sabita Barui of Charuchandra College
*Santosh Kumar Roy of Deshbandhu Mahavidlyaya
*Sushnat Kumar Barik of Syamsundar College
[Sources:
Indian Express]
Age limit increased to 50 years for men, 55 for women
The State government issued a circular last week increasing the maximum age limit for college teachers to complete their Ph.D. under the Faculty Improvement Programme (FIP) of the University Grants Commission (UGC), according to the Director of State Collegiate Education Kamalamma V.
The maximum age limit for men has been increased from 45 years to 50 and for women from 50 years to 55, she said here on Sunday. She was addressing college teachers at a convention on higher education organised by the Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT).
According to the circular, teachers could take three months’ leave for pre-Ph.D. course work, the Director said.
Ms. Kamalamma asked teachers to make use of this facility.
Ms. Kamalamma said the government would extend the FIP to teachers and non-teaching staff in government-aided private colleges in the State.
Advice
Oscar Fernandes, MP, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, asked teachers to strive hard to ensure that an Indian university figures among the top 100 universities in the world.
He said that Indian teachers and students were sought the world over. A little effort on the part of teachers would ensure that some universities were listed among the top 100 universities in the world, he said.
Mr. Fernandes said that the Union government would pump in more money into the higher education sector.
T.C. Shivashankara Murthy, Vice-Chancellor, Mangalore University, claimed that there was discrimination in funding for universities by the government. If many State universities got Rs. 10 crore for five years under the 11th Five Year Plan, some central universities got Rs. 150 crore for five years under the plan.
Research activities
Prof. Murthy said that earlier, research activities were concentrated in conventional universities. Setting up of premier educational institutes such as the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Institute of Management had taken away research activities from conventional universities. He said that premier institutes catered to only 1 per cent of the total segment of students in the country. If State universities were not granted funds on a par with premier institutes and central universities, how could one expect quality in higher education in State universities, the Vice-Chancellor asked.
Prof. Murthy asked teachers not to stop research activities on getting a Ph.D. Research and teaching should go together, he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said that a majority of teachers in colleges across the country did not have a Ph.D. About 48 per cent of teaching posts in various colleges in the country were vacant.
‘Fill posts’
C.H. Murigendrappa, president, Federation of University and College Teachers’ Associations in Karnataka, said that the government should fill posts of teachers and non-teaching staff in colleges on priority.
Ummappa Poojary P., president, AMUCT, spoke.
Some retired teachers were felicitated on the occasion.
According to the circular, teachers can take three months’ leave for pre-Ph.D. course work
There is discrimination in funding for universities by the government: Vice-Chancellor
A reply to an RTI query has revealed that many teachers across colleges in Kolkata who had obtained funds from UGC under the Faculty Improvement Programme (FIP) for completing their MPhil and PhD are yet to complete their degrees or refund the money. 