UGC – Photo: PTI
Expansion
The gap between industry and academia in higher education will now be less than that of ‘professor of practice’. Through this scheme, industries will provide skill-based education to students based on their needs.
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The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the scheme with the aim of integrating industry and professional expertise in educational institutions based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. In this, persons who are expert in their field can offer their services in higher educational institutions after fulfilling the conditions of UGC. Initially the tenure will be of one year, but extension is also possible depending on the services.
According to a senior University Grants Commission official, the initiative introduces a new role called ‘Professor of Practice’ with the goal of incorporating real-world experiences in classrooms and enhancing faculty resources in higher education institutions. The collaborative effort aims to produce graduates equipped with practical skills. The scheme can include experts from various fields including engineering, science, technology, entrepreneurship, management, chartered accountancy (CA), commerce, social sciences, media, literature, fine arts, civil services, armed forces, legal profession and public administration. Are.
To join this scheme, it is necessary to have at least 15 years of service or experience. However, formal educational qualification is not mandatory to become a teacher in higher educational institutions. These experts are exempted from the normal publication and eligibility criteria for faculty recruitment at the Professor level. But they must have work experience and skills in the relevant field. In this scheme, appointment of practicing professors will be for a fixed period. The initial tenure may be up to one year.
Apart from this, there is also a possibility of expansion on the basis of services. In this, higher education institutions will assess the performance and contribution of practicing professors and take a decision. The maximum period of service for a Practicing Professor in any institution should not exceed three years, with the possibility of extension of one year in exceptional cases, the total period of service not exceeding four years under any circumstances. This scheme will not have any impact on the number of sanctioned posts or recruitment of regular faculty members in any university/college.