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Generation gap: Older IITs told not to poach faculty from younger ones
To protect younger IITs like the ones at Goa, Bhilai or Jammu from poaching of faculty by their elder siblings, the IIT council stipulated that new faculty is recruited by a younger IIT, cannot be hired by the established ones unless they have completed at least two years at the parent institution.
The woes of the newly established IITs in retaining the best possible faculty may soon be a thing of the past as established IITs would no longer be able to poach their talented faculty members.
To protect younger IITs like the ones at Goa, Bhilai or Jammu from poaching of faculty by their elder siblings, the IIT council, the highest decision making body for these prestigious tech institutes, stipulated that new faculty is recruited by a younger IIT, cannot be hired by the established ones unless they have completed at least two years at the parent institution.
“The 3-G IITs are presently in the project mode and expected to grow slowly. Quality faculty make world class institutions. To ensure it, all 3-G IITs invest time and effort in faculty search and selection. Once any faculty is selected, their retention at the new institution is important for the growth and development,” the proposal put up in the council headed by HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said.
“The proposal for faculty retention came up in the meeting on September 27 and was passed,” the official said.
The term third generation IITs is used for the newest institutes like the one established in recent years in Bhilai, Goa, Jammu and Dharwad. While the older established IITs like Delhi, Madras and Bombay are rich in terms of having experienced faculty and attract the best students, the younger lot is still making efforts to come up.
“We look to the established IITs as our mentors. However, a few instances have occurred when our faculty was hired and it becomes very difficult for us to find a replacement. Some teachers may want to shift for factors including preference for a location. We can’t stop them also. So the demand was that a faculty member should atleast spend two years on our campuses,” said the director of one of the younger IITs.
Significantly, another proposal which allows additional sabbatical for the faculty at the older IITs in case they work to mentor teachers at the younger IITs was also approved.
New IITs are able to attract faculty at the entry level but are constrained due to lack of senior faculty joining them either on direct recruitment or on deputation, the proposal said.
