|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006
Engineering colleges struggle to retain teaching talent
Even top colleges are facing the heat in circuit branches Even top colleges are facing the heat, especially in the circuit branches
- Acute paucity of quality graduates due to intensive, campus recruitment drives by top IT firms
- Mushrooming of colleges treble intake of students, necessitating recruitment of more teachers
- Only 10-20 per cent of 4 lakh engineering graduates coming out of colleges annually take up teaching
Chennai: In a dramatic turnaround of fortunes within three years,
engineering colleges in the State are going all out to woo quality
talent in teaching.
With even top colleges finding it difficult to retain teachers, especially in the circuit branches, and the threat of the All India Council for Technical Education `red card' over lack of quality teachers, these institutions are in the midst of an unprecedented crunch, say educationists.
Three reasons can be cited: acute paucity of quality graduates due to intensive salary-rich campus recruitment drives by top IT firms on engineering college campuses, lack of an enabling atmosphere for post graduation and research in many institutions, and the mushrooming of institutions which has trebled the total intake of students necessitating recruitment of more teachers.
Then there is the threat of poaching. Two weeks ago, a lecturer in a top suburban engineering college landed four job offers, all of which he subsequently used to leverage his prospects in the present job. Another suburban engineering college faces the threat of not being able to start the electronics and communication course on time due to lack of staff.
Semi-urban and rural institutions are the worst hit. Though no definitive statistics are available, educationists say hardly 10-20 percent of the over four lakh engineering graduates who come out of the colleges every year opt for teaching. Even among those who do, attrition and poaching take their toll. All this when AICTE norms clearly say a B.E/B.Tech degree is enough to land a teaching assignment.
"The critical subjects are computer science, electronics and communication and electrical engineering. Those who perform well academically are immediately picked up by corporates. Many colleges are forced to hire teachers without enough experience which affects the quality of teaching,'' says A.M. Natarajan, principal, Kongu Engineering College, Erode.
"Reasons for attrition include inadequate salary structures, lack of job satisfaction and bad management policies. Some colleges have even gone in for differential salary structures, with teachers in subjects such as computer science being paid much more than those in other branches,'' says P.V. Navaneethakrishnan, former director of entrance examinations and admissions, Anna University.
The situation, however, remains grim. "With IT companies willing to offer three times more than the average monthly salary, many colleges are forced to increase spending to retain good teachers,'' a principal said.
Courtesy: The Hindu
|
| << Back |
|
|
