Chizokho Vero
Kohima | October 9
The state government is showing its seriousness in implementing the UGC revised pay scheme and UGC Regulation 2010 in the state. This was stated by commissioner & secretary higher education F.P. Solo while addressing the Ist annual day of Private College Teachers’ Forum, Kohima (PCTFK) here today at Oriental College.
He said the UGC revised pay scheme and UGC regulation 2010 offers excellent career prospects for university and college teachers and lots of incentives for those who work hard at the same time those teachers who do not come up with the standard or fulfill the requirement can be punished or terminated.
The commissioner and secretary said the government teachers can be looking forward for a very good career prospect at the same time with tougher condition.
Solo hoped that the management of the private colleges would look up to the UGC revised pay scheme and regulation 2010 and provide some improved salary structure and condition to the teachers who are committed.
Referring to important role of the teachers in achieving the goal for positive education, he stressed on the need to attract, nurture and retain talent in teaching profession.
“We need teachers with missionary views, passionate and proud of their profession,’ he said adding that in order to make the teaching an attractive profession the state government has decided to implement the UGC schemes for revision of payment of teachers for University and college teachers and also regulation of UGC 2010.
Under the UGC revised pay schemes the college teachers who will now be Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor will be getting handsome pay in academic retreat with effect from 1st Jan 2006.
Admitting that the government has limited resources and the department is not getting sufficient funds, he however, assured that the department would also do its best to see what extend they will do which in terms will provide more incentives to the private teachers.
Stating that “ we have not done much in the matter of academic involve,” Solo stressed on the need to review and make changes in admission procedure, assessment, examination method, switch over from annual to semester system, teachers assessment etc.
He expressed happiness over the College Principal’s Forum for conducting a seminar on evaluation at Kohima recently and felt that such seminar be conducted more in bringing out more solution for higher education system in the state.
He also stated that the government was serious in promoting quality consciousness in higher education. Towards this, he said it had already sensitized the principals and the nodal officers of colleges about the need to prepare for NAAC assessment and setting up internal quality assurance in every college.
Few college have been assess with NAAC, one private and one government college has already access by NAAC in recent period, he said adding one more private and 1 government college are in final stages to be accessed by NAAC.
“Our goal is to get all the colleges to access by NAAC. In the first stage the colleges which are covered under UGC act will be targeted. Many colleges want to go for NAAC assessment only after making improvement and making necessary infrastructure but it is better to go for NAAC assessment before hand,” he said and urged the colleges to prepare for the assessment of NAAC.
Also dwelling on the fast changing world with respect to knowledge and technology, he called upon the teachers to update their knowledge, equipped with all the necessary skills and knowledge by attending seminars, refresher courses, Ph.D etc. so that they can bring qualitative improvement in the higher education.
He also stated that the main trans areas of higher education in the next 5 year plan in the country are access, equity and quality.
“Though we need to do on necessary infrastructure and also provide necessary facilities in all the colleges, as far as the access and equity are concerned, we have more 70 secular colleges with at least one college in every district head quarter and the students from every nook and corner of the state and every section of the society have access to higher education so as far as access and expansion are concern,” he said and maintained that the state have already sufficient number but the state still have long way to go and need to do lot more as far as quality and excellent are concerned.
It has been recognized that quality in higher education is practically complex in three factors namely critical infrastructure, number of quality teachers and academic involve.
Varying a handful of colleges, most of the colleges lack necessary infrastructure but if the state government has not been able to provide adequate funds, the department has been encouraging the colleges which are covered under UA, UC of UGC Act to avail the maximum schemes under UGC, he said.
He expressed happiness that all eligible colleges in Nagaland are getting substantial assistance from the UGC, the remaining college which are not come under the scheme have also been asked to avail on time catch up schemes from the UGC.
Starting from this financial year, he said, the department is expecting enough infrastructural development works of all the government colleges which are located educationally backward in every district.
Solo was optimistic that with such initiative there will be a significant improvement in the infrastructure of all government and private colleges in the years to come.
