The ongoing protests by the faculties of the country?s premier management and engineering institutes, namely the IITs and IIMs, against the meagre pay hikes recommended for them by the Sixth Pay Commission are worrying. This is not the kind of thing that should occupy the time of the faculties at these premier institutions. These institutes of excellence are not new to controversy related to their handling by the government. From the NDA government?s Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi?s crusade of ?affordability? wherein he sought to slash fees, to Arjun Singh?s reservations drive, successive governments over the past decade cutting across party lines have had one common agenda?that of clamping down on the autonomy enjoyed by these institutions.
In giving short shrift to the genuine concerns expressed by the IITs and IIMs over the dangerous exodus of quality faculty from these institutes to greener pastures in the private sector, the government has shown remarkable indifference to preserving a major asset of IITs and IIMs?their superior academic talent. Undoubtedly, there?s merit in the demands being made by the faculties of these top-notch institutions. For one, if we as a country want the IITs and IIMs to retain their identities as world-class destinations of higher education, its imperative that they attract the best talent for faculty positions to teach the cream of our student population.
And in the absence of any motivation for attracting the best faculty for these premier institutes, even the government?s latest move to set up more IIMs and IITs may turn out to be futile. That?s simply because, in the absence of good teachers, they may well become like any other run-of-the mill mediocre institutes. Therefore, in order to preserve their excellence, it has become crucial, now more than ever before, to ensure that these institutions are capable of attracting top notch faculty. The best option would, of course, be to let these institutions set their own salaries for faculty rather than be dictated by the Pay Commission for all central government employees.
jyotsna.bhatnagar@expressindia.com