Eyeing to enhance the gross enrolment ratio in higher education to 30 per cent by 2020, the government is mulling 'Human Resource Planning and Management Centres' at the university level to assess teacher requirement and plan their professional growth.
The existing 'academic staff
colleges' may be subsumed within the proposed centres or upgraded to their level. The aim is to set up these centres with "appropriate autonomy to assess teacher's requirement and plan for the professional growth of teachers through research and faculty development programmes such as seminars, training, workshops, incentive and award schemes," an HRD Ministry official said.
The plan is a critical component of the 12th Five Year Plan for the Department of Higher Education and would come up at a meeting in Guwahati on July 25 in connection with the formulation of programmes during the Plan Period. Several other strategies like 'brain gain policy' and scheme for attracting non-resident Indians have also been proposed in the plan leading to faculty development.
They also include attracting young post-graduates and doctoral students to teaching and enhancing autonomy of institutions in filling faculty positions. Greater utilisation of scientists and technologists available with research laboratories or in industries has also been suggested along with extensive use of technology to supplement the face-to-face interaction between teachers and students.