Teachers to undergo refresher courses

Contract lecturers can also attend

The University Grants Commission has embarked on a plan to brush up the skills of teachers through its 66 Academic Staff Colleges in different universities and institutions in the country. UGC’s attempt is to bring in quality factor in the teaching. The Orientation programme is aimed to inculcate in the young lecturers the quality of self- reliance through awareness of the social, intellectual and moral environment.

The curriculum for the Academic Staff Orientation Course will have the five components with 144 contact hours, i.e., 6 hours daily for 4 week programmes and 3 week Refresher Courses may have a minimum of 108 hours. In addition, computer awareness training and application of computers in teaching and research in different areas as relevant for the subject disciplines will also be given.

If, however, the subject discipline by chance is not covered in the areas of interest of the teachers in the state, the teacher may go ahead with the next nearest UGC- where such discipline is allocated and submit the application accordingly.

The sponsoring university or college will treat teachers selected for the programme as on duty with full pay and allowances. The travel, boarding and lodging expenses will be borne by the UGC, partially. The Commission has been providing cent percent financial assistance to the universities and institutions to run the courses mainly towards cost of resource persons, participants, books, materials, working expenses and salaries of the UGC- allocated staff etc.

The newly appointed teachers may have to attend the orientation programme up to six years of continuous services and also even after six years of service if the orientation programme has to be attended by the lecturers under career advancement scheme. Then after a gap of one year, such teachers may opt for refresher course. The eligibility for attending refresher course for teachers who have not attended earlier Orientation programme has been reduced to "two years" from "five years". However, the gap in two successive refresher courses should normally be "one year" and may be relaxed if it is essential for the teacher to fulfill eligibility condition for his career advancement.

The UGC has also made the norms flexible and decided to allow lecturers which were not identified by it but have been affiliated to a university for at least 5 years to participate in the refresher courses. The contract teachers, who have been teaching for at least two academic sessions in an Institution which has been affiliated to a university for at least two years are also allowed to participate to hone their skills.

Courses under UGC-are conducted round the year and are non-vocational. Interested teachers can submit their application through proper channel of the employer for participation in the programme directly to the nearest UGC-s as per allocation made by the UGC and posted in UGC website www.ugc.ac.in. Each participant has to deposit Rs. 500/- as registration charges along with his or her application. All the UGC-s will issue Certificate in the UGC designed format common to all the successful teachers.