UGC Releases Draft Guidelines For Preparing Institutional Development Plans For Higher Education Institutions

The draft guidelines for the preparation of the Institutional Development Plans (IDP) for the higher education institutions (HEI) have been released by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Recommendations on recruitment of professionals as faculty, fast-tracking of the promotion system for teachers, the upgradation of the physical infrastructure for effective teaching and learning along with campus audits are included in the draft guidelines.

The UGC has invited feedback from stakeholders over the draft guidelines, which have been issued as part of the National Education Policy, by 11 February, reports Hindustan Times.

The guidelines have been drafted by an expert committee headed by Avinash Chandra Pandey.

The draft says Higher Education Council of India, which will replace the UGC and the technical education regulator All India Council for Technical Education as per NEP 2020, will also include a Higher Education Grants Council.

“The council will carry out funding and financing of higher education based on transparent criteria, including the IDPs prepared by the institutions and the progress made on their implementation,” the draft recommendation reads, Hindustan Times reported.

Further, the draft proposed hiring of about 50 per cent of the total faculty requirement can be contractual (tenured) or visiting from the professionor industry to strike a balance between ‘theory and practical’ in professional streams.

It further proposes HEIs to make a multi-parameter system so that the performance, promotion, tenure and salary increments of teachers could be assessed.