News Analysis India

Tag: education ministry

  • Over 45000 teaching posts vacant in IITs

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Over 4,500 teaching posts are lying vacant in the so-called elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including Kharagpur, Bombay and Madras, considered among the top institutes. 

    The education ministry said all IITs had been asked to fill up the vacancies in the faculty cadre through a particular recruitment drive in mission mode. Most have initiated the process; the centre told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 

    As many as 4,596 faculty positions are vacant in 23 IITs in India, as per the education ministry.

    IIT Kharagpur needs to fill 798 faculty positions; Bombay has 517 posts empty, while Madras has to fill up 482.

    Replying to a written question, Minister of State of Education Dr Subhas Sarkar said that the IITs are autonomous institutes governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 and the statutes are framed there from time to time. 

    “Filling up vacancies is a continuous process and IITs issue rolling advertisements, which are open throughout the year for all candidates, who fulfill the required qualifications and experience for faculty positions in IITs,” the minister said.

    “Ministry of Education has requested all IITs to fill up the vacancies in faculty cadre through Special Recruitment Drive in Mission Mode, and most of the IITs have initiated the process,” he added.

    After these three top three institutes, IIT Dhanbad had 446 posts to be filled, followed by Roorkee, with 419 vacant positions.

    The other institutes are – Kanpur (382), Guwahati (307), BHU (271), Jodhpur (138), Bhubaneswar (114) and Hyderabad (113).

    NEW DELHI: Over 4,500 teaching posts are lying vacant in the so-called elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including Kharagpur, Bombay and Madras, considered among the top institutes. 

    The education ministry said all IITs had been asked to fill up the vacancies in the faculty cadre through a particular recruitment drive in mission mode. Most have initiated the process; the centre told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. 

    As many as 4,596 faculty positions are vacant in 23 IITs in India, as per the education ministry.

    IIT Kharagpur needs to fill 798 faculty positions; Bombay has 517 posts empty, while Madras has to fill up 482.

    Replying to a written question, Minister of State of Education Dr Subhas Sarkar said that the IITs are autonomous institutes governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 and the statutes are framed there from time to time. 

    “Filling up vacancies is a continuous process and IITs issue rolling advertisements, which are open throughout the year for all candidates, who fulfill the required qualifications and experience for faculty positions in IITs,” the minister said.

    “Ministry of Education has requested all IITs to fill up the vacancies in faculty cadre through Special Recruitment Drive in Mission Mode, and most of the IITs have initiated the process,” he added.

    After these three top three institutes, IIT Dhanbad had 446 posts to be filled, followed by Roorkee, with 419 vacant positions.

    The other institutes are – Kanpur (382), Guwahati (307), BHU (271), Jodhpur (138), Bhubaneswar (114) and Hyderabad (113).

  • Union education ministry asks universities to fill up teaching vacancies

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The Union education ministry on Friday nudged nearly 40 universities under it to fill about 6,000 teaching vacancies in a “mission mode” by the end of October to close the learning-teaching gap.

    Of nearly 18,000 teaching posts in these universities, over a third are vacant, badly hampering the academic activities in these institutions. Among those with highest vacancies is Delhi University where nearly half of the 1,700 posts have been lying vacant. 

    Recently, the Centre had also appointed vice-chancellors in several universities which had been headless for a long time and this also included DU. In a meeting with the vice-chancellors of the universities on Friday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked them to begin implementation of the initiatives like academic credit bank and the glue grant meant to encourage multidisciplinary education and multiple entries and exits. These measures are all part of the new national education policy adopted by the Centre last year. 

    Under the glue grant announced in the budget this year, institutions in the same city would be encouraged to share resources, equipment and even allow their students to take classes from each other. The government is hoping at least some institutes will start adopting these measures from the current academic session. Only recently, the government had set up two new central universities in Andhra Pradesh, while there are proposals of setting up central universities also at Bhagalpur and another one in Ladakh.

  • About 80 per cent teaching, non-teaching school staff have got at least first Covid jab: MoE officials

    The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Tuesday asked all the states and Union Territories to get the first dose of vaccination completed for all teaching and non-teaching staff during September.

  • Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reviews status of reopening of schools in country

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a meeting with senior ministry officials on Wednesday on the status of the reopening of schools across the country and the roadmap for vaccinating their staff.

    Schools were closed in March last year ahead of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus infection. The Centre had allowed the reopening of schools as per the COVID-19 situation in respective states in October last year.

    While several states began partial reopening of schools, there was a complete closure again in April this year when an aggressive second wave of COVID-19 hit the country. With the improvement in the COVID-19 situation, several states have begun reopening schools now even as concerns have been expressed over the staff and teachers not being completely vaccinated.

    Shiksha Mantri Shri @dpradhanbjp reviewed the status of schools reopening across the country with senior officials of Deptt. of School Education & Literacy. He also took stock of the roadmap for vaccinating all teaching & non-teaching staff in schools by the month of September.
    — Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) September 1, 2021
    “Shiksha Mantri Shri @dpradhanbjp reviewed the status of schools reopening across the country with senior officials of Deptt. of School Education & Literacy. He also took stock of the roadmap for vaccinating all teaching & non-teaching staff in schools by the month of September,” the Ministry of Education said in a tweet.

    The ministry added that the Centre is prioritising vaccination of teaching and non-teaching staff in schools across the country to “ensure a safe environment for reopening of schools”.

  • Education Ministry releases guidelines for parents to facilitate children’s home-based learning

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Union Education Ministry on Saturday released guidelines for parents and caregivers on how to provide support to children and facilitate their home-based learning at a time when schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The guidelines emphasised the need for parents to create a safe, engaging and positive learning environment for children, have realistic expectations from them, take care of their health and ensure a healthy diet, and also have fun, a statement from the ministry said.

    In a tweet, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said the ‘Guidelines for parent participation in home-based learning during school closure and beyond’ have been drafted “for parents and caregivers to provide information on the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how-to’ of participation in supporting children during school closure, irrespective of literacy levels”.

    “I strongly feel that a home is the first school and parents are the first teachers. In this pandemic, the role of parents is pivotal in the growth and learning of children,” he tweeted.

    These guidelines are meant not only for parents but also for caregivers, other family members, grandparents, community members and older siblings engaged in promoting the welfare of children.

    The activities suggested in the guidelines are in accordance with the various stages of school education under National Education Policy 2020, the statement by the ministry said.

    Age-appropriate art activities have been categorized on basis of 5+3+3+4 system such as Foundation Stage (age 3 to 8years); Preparatory Stage (age 8 to 11 years); Middle Stage (age 11 to 14 years); and secondary stage: From Adolescent to Adult (age 14-18 years).

    The activities are simple and suggestive, which can be adapted and adopted to local needs and contexts.

    The guidelines appreciate the role of art as a therapy for children under stress or trauma, the statement said.

    “They (guidelines) also lay significance on improving children’s learning by monitoring and addressing their learning gaps.”

    Collaboration of parents with teachers in documenting and reflecting on the progress of children in their learning is important for both teachers and parents, the statement by the Education Ministry said.

    The guidelines also advise schools to involve parents by providing information and ideas on helping students with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, planning and involving them in school decisions, it said.

    Resources have been made available for children with special needs which may be explored by parents.

    A separate chapter has been included in the guidelines for supporting parents with low or no literacy.

    Schools, teachers and volunteers may take suggestive steps to provide support to parents who are not quite literate, the statement said.

  • Teachers Eligibility Test qualifying certificates now valid for lifetime: Union Education Minister

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The validity of the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) qualifying certificates has been extended from seven years to lifetime, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” announced on Thursday.

    “The government has decided to extend the validity period of the Teachers Eligibility Test qualifying certificates from seven years to lifetime with a retrospective effect from 2011,” the minister said in a statement.

    “The respective state governments and UTs will take necessary action to revalidate and issue fresh TET certificates to those candidates whose period of seven years has already lapsed,” he added.

    Pokhriyal said this will be a positive step to boost employment opportunities for the candidates aspiring to make a career in the field of teaching.

    Possessing the TET qualifying certificate is one of the essential qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a school teacher.

    The guidelines dated February 11, 2011 of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) laid down that TET would be conducted by the state governments and the validity of the TET certificates was seven years from the date of passing TET.