The human resources development minister Kapil Sibal is scheduled to meet with all the IIT directors on September 2. IIT faculty have taken offence to the August 18 MHRD notice on faculty salary and structure for IITs, IIMs, IISc and IISERs, and on August 23 the all India IIT faculty federation (AIIITFF) presented a succinct and straightforward three-page memo outlining corrections to the ministry?s ?revised pay scales notified for centrally funded technical institutions? and as a result of which this high level meeting has been called for on September 2.
The adjustments on pay bands and academic grade pay that the IIT faculty federation is demanding are modest but the significance runs deep for them. IITs, like the IIMs, IISc and IISERs, would like freedom and flexibility in attracting prospective faculty, deciding the level at which they are appointed and following a promotion system that is meritocratic and transparent. Some of the MHRD directives on faculty intake, positioning and promotion have left IIT faculty and administration feeling that their autonomy in these matters is being threatened.
This contention seems to be legitimate if one were to look at ground realities. Putting aside the newer IITs who will find it significantly tougher to recruit large number of faculty they require, even IIT Bombay to incorporate the ?OBC expansion? and meet the ministry mandated teacher: student ratio of 1:10 would have to almost double its faculty strength from the current 450 to 850 by 2010. This they are going to find difficult unless they are able to offer a ?good pay scale and catch them young?.
Typically these entrants would be at the assistant professor level which is one of the main problematic issues. The MHRD directives say, to be appointed an assistant professor, a candidate should have a PhD and three years experience and this would warrant a pay band 3 level for the candidate. This is removed from reality. ?Forget attracting post-doctorates from the US who with three years experience who are making to the tune of $80,000 a year, even readers in Delhi University with three years experience are given an automatic jump to the pay band 4 level,? is the prevalent ground situation.
So, what are the IITs demanding? At the assistant professor level, the AIIITFF is saying that a PhD?s research experience should hold for something.
So while IITs may even agree with hiring fresh assistant professor at the pay band (PB) 3, it should be the discretion of the IITs to decide whether to promote the assistant professor to the pay band 4 level within a year or three years and a PhD assistant professor candidate with three years experience should be automatically placed at the PB4 level. IITs are saying that this is the only way they will be able to stay competitive.
IITs are saying this with the backing of their promotion policy that invites applicants through open advertisements in the newspaper and evaluates candidates based on research they have done, how they teach and the administrative responsibility they have undertaken and do not simply base promotions on seniority as is the case with most UGC recognised institutes. The AIIITFF?s memo spells this out, ?If in a discipline fresh PhDs or those with just one year experience have an option to join as assistant professor elsewhere, IITs should have an option of matching it. This freedom had always been available to the IITs and they have used it judiciously in the last three decades to attract the best talent. Thus specifying explicitly ?excluding however the experience gained while pursing PhD? will make IITs uncompetitive in a number of disciplines. This could have a major impact on existing IITs but a disastrous effect in new IITs.
Federation members are also concerned that the newer IITs may not be able to attract all PhD faculty and should have the flexibility of hiring MTech?s pursuing their PhD as they teach and who can get absorbed in to the system once they qualify.
The other pointed demand is that academic grade pay (AGP) of both associate professors and professors of IITs are at the Rs 10,000 level. This is because AGP is related to the ?travel and dearness allowance? perks a faculty member gets and putting faculty at Rs 10,000 AGP shows the faculty that they are ?valued by the institute?. Likewise with the demand of Rs 15,000 per month scholastic pay for all faculty members that serve to act as an opportunity cost or ?compensation for the lost earnings to attain the minimum qualifications required to join IIT as a career?. IIT faculty who spoke with FE were concerned whether these sentiments were known.
This issue may be resolved this week between the ministry and the IITs but if a more objective view is sought then IIT faculty members are even proposing a group be formed of students, faculty, alumni and industry, all stakeholders in IITs to get their opinion on what should be done.
?malvika.chandan@expressindia.com