TEACHING STAFF : UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
I- Present Status and Salaries 1. The Importance of the Teacher and his Responsibility. 2. The Present Unsatisfactory Position. 3. The Danger of Teacher-politicians. 4. Lack of Adequate Finances. 5. Low Salaries of Teachers. 6. Resulting Demoralization.
II.-Classification of Teachers 7. Your Classes of Teachers. 8. The Weakness of the Service System. 9. Professors, Readers, Lecturers and Instructors. 10. Research Fellows. 11. Salaries. 12. Present Scales. 13. Qualifications for the Different Grades. 14. Comparison of Teachers' Salaries with those of other Services. 15 Salaries of Teachers in United Kingdom and the U.S.A. 16. Salaries in other Services. 17. Proposed Scales.
III.-Conditions of Service 18. Provident Fund and Residential Accommodation. 19. Proper Recruitment. 20. Proportion of Higher Posts. 21. Age of Retirement. 22. Conditions of Service and Leave. 23. Hours of Work.
IV. - 24 Recommendations
I.-Present Status and Salaries 1. The Importance of the Teacher and his Responsibility--The success of the educational process depends so much on the character and. ability of the teacher that in any plan of university reform the main concern must be for securing an adequate staff with quali fications necessary for the discharge of its many-sided duties. Else- where in this report we have discussed the aims and objectives of university teaching. Briefly stated they are
(1) transmission of the intellectual and ethical heritage of humanity to the young;
(2) enrichment of this heritage and extension of the boundaries of knowledge;
(3) development of personality.
The primary responsibility of the teacher is to arouse the in- terest of the pupil in the field of study for which he is responsible. He has not merely to convey factual information and the principles and generalisations which accrue from them, he has to stimulate the spirit of enquiry and of criticism, so that minds may acquire the habit of exercising independent and unbiassed judgement, and learn to dis- criminate between adequate and inadequate, relevant and irrelevant data, and to avoid the extremes of haste and indecision in arriving at conclusions.
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No teacher who is not a master of the field, who is not in touch. with the latest developments in his subject and who does not bring to bear upon his duties a free and untrammelled mind will ever succeed in inspiring youth with that love of truth which is the principal object of all higher education.
Nor is the mastery of a subject possible without a seeking for more knowledge, for knowledge is never complete and is always advancing. And a teacher who is not a fellow traveller in this ex- citing pursuit, and who stands merely watching others, Misses the thrill of adventure which is so potent a stimulus of thought. Research or quest for new knowledge is not merely an additional casual activity of a University teacher which he may if he so chooses omit, it is an essential part of his function and may be neglected only at the peril of intellectual stagnation. Research implies an enquiring attitude of mind. In the University which is the laboratory of thought no one is fitted to work whose mind has ceased to wonder and whose intellect has stopped from questioning.
The teacher is also the bearer of the traditions and ideals which constitute the ethos of a society. Nor is it possible to make any real distinctions between intellectual and moral virtues. Integrity, judgement, objectivity, subordination of the immediate and ephemeral to the rational and permanent are common to both. The growth of reason is the aim of higher education and for this moral and intellectual developments must strengthen each other. A good teacher desiring to achieve results on the intellectual field must inevitably Instil into his pupils respect for right values, for truth, and inculcate habits and modes of behaviour through which their life may be moulded to their realization. It is a difficult task but in- escapable if Indian democracy is to live, and if Indian independence is to continue.
From all this it follows that the right kind of teacher is one who, possesses a vivid awareness of his mission. He not only loves his subject, he loves also those whom he teaches. His success will be measured not in terms of percentage of passes alone, not even by the quantity of original contributions to knowledge-- important as they are, but equally through the quality, of life and character of men and women whom he has taught.
2. The Present Unsatisfactory Position-These are exacting demands, but we have no doubt the teachers themselves will recognize that they are inherent to their calling. Unfortunately the Position today is far from satisfactory. The evidence from the universities points to great dissatisfaction with the, existing conditions and deep
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concern over its consequences. All those interested in education deplore the deterioration of standards of teaching and of discipline. Many have testified to the great respect which the teacher of the preceding generations commanded and the indifference with which they are treated today. Complaints of lack of freshness and enthusiasm abound. Quite a number of teachers are satisfied with rePeating stereotyped information, which tends to devitalise teaching and to kill interest. In one of the Indian Administrative Service examinations, one examiner in a Science subject wrote, "the answers of many of the candidates were antiquated and obsolete-they were writing in 1948 what they might have written in 1918-they had completely ignored the advance in our knowledge of the subject during the last 30 years. It is likely that their teachers failed to bring the recent advances in our knowledge to the notice of their students. The matter becomes serious when we know that these advances are duly recorded in current modern text-books." This is a serious indictment. but is unfortunately true of far too many.
3. The Danger of Teacher-Politicians-With the introduction of democratic control and of elections in our universities there has grown a tendency among teachers to interest themselves more in the administrative affairs of the University than in their legitimate duties. We were told that in several cases teacher-politicians have succeeded better in their careers than teachers who have devoted themselves to teaching and. scholarship. The success of teacher- politicians who manipulate elections and get for themselves and their friends influential and lucrative positions in their own or sister universities is largely responsible for the deterioration of the morals of teachers and of the academic standards of the universities.
4. Lack of Adequate Finances-On the other hand the universities complain of general neglect. They suffer from lack of adequate financial support from Governments aid the public. Their libraries and laboratories are insufficient and ill-equipped and afford little scope for scholarship and research. Without up-to-date books and journals the teachers cannot keep step with the advance of knowledge, and without apparatus and research facilities either they play with insignificant investigations or lose heart and abandon research.
5. Low Salaries of Teachers--Then the universities are finding it hard to retain their best teachers. The good old times when the profession of teaching attracted those whom no worldly rewards could tempt are no more. In this age of money economy and profit motives it is vain to expect that teachers alone would rise above the spirit of the times. Salaries which the universities cannot command but industry and governments easily offer are taking the cream away leaving the staffs poorer, envious and discontented.
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It is not surprising that Indian universities have failed to pro- duce in adequate numbers teachers commanding fame and respect or investigators who have won international recognition. A few have indeed achieved eminence, but the fact remains that the average teacher does not enjoy a high reputation.
6. Resulting Demoralization-An unfortunate development of re- cent years is that the teacher has to a large extent lost the confidence of his pupils. During the period of the national struggle for independence educational institutions became centres of agitation, and naturally young minds were excited and inflamed. While youth yearned to throw itself into the noise and bustle of strife, the teacher was torn between opposing ideals-his duty towards the youth as an educator and his sympathy with the cause of national liberation. His hesitance was interpreted as lack of patriotic fervour both by political leaders and his students. He lost grace and what is worse faith in himself. He made little effort to retain his influence over the young and eventually came to believe in his inability to do so.
All this must pass away if the university is to play its proper role in the life of the nation. The factors which are responsible for the demoralisation and denigration of the teacher must be removed and a healthy atmosphere restored. For the teacher is the corner-stone of the arch of education, he is no less if not more than books and curricula, buildings and equipment, administration and the rest.
II.-Classification of Teachers 7. Four Classes of Teachers-It is in this context that the pro- blems of staffing the universities have to be considered. The first among them is that of the classification of university teachers. At present there are in most Indian universities three classes of teachers, viz.
(i) Professors or University Professors.
(ii) Readers or Professors.
(iii) Lecturers or Assistant Professors.
Besides many universities have below these grades Junior Lecturers or Lecturers of B grade and Demonstrators.
Though this classification is well-defined in the universities, in the colleges affiliated to universities the distinction is blurred and the title of Professor is used rather indiscriminately. This practice ought to be discontinued and the different grades of teachers should
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be fixed on the basis of qualifications, experience and responsibility. In most countries of the world there is an ordered heirarchy in the. universities. In the United States of America, for 'instance, there are four classes of teachers-Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors and Instructors. In the United Kingdom there are Professors, Readers or Assistant Professors, Lecturers and Assistant, Lecturers, in France and Germany there are similar grades. Even in the U.S.S.R. the three-class system exists.
8. The Weakness of the Service System-There are no strong grounds for abandoning the classification. Even the advocates of a single class admit the desirability of retaining the three designa- tions. What they want is a continuity of the grades and automatic promotion from one grade to the other. In our opinion the service system which obtains in the Government departments where a person rises to his maximum through sheer flux of time is detrimental to, the interests of the university. Promotions from lecturership to readership and from readership to professorship should depend upon. considerations of experience, scholarship and research as well as distinction in teaching. Mere seniority should not be the ground for promotion. Automatic salary increases without regard to merit stifle incentive. Time served is not a measure of growth in academic competence. Promotions should be earned and each advance in rank should be based on an evaluation of the individual's achievement. A University which allows considerations other than those of intellec- tual eminence as objectively demonstrated through contribution to, learning and extension of the boundaries of knowledge will soon lose its moral prestige and with it the authority due to true scholarship.
Again the existence of the grades is a spur to ambition, in the university where life is dynamic and knowledge grows from day to day it is dangerous to remain slack. The higher grades should be the prize of strenuous endeavour. Otherwise there is serious danger of minds remaining static and even becoming retrogressive.
9. Professors, Readers, Lecturers, Instructors-For our unities, then, we recommend the following grades for teachers:versities
1. Professors.
2. Readers.
3. Lecturers.
In addition it appears that a fourth grade analogous to thelns- tructor's grade in the U.S.A. or Assistant Lecturer's in the U. K. is required. The need for this grade arises because of the vast increase in the numbers of students in the colleges and the universities.
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If the universities are to attempt to give some individual attention to students, especially in the junior classes, and to maintain the proper teacher-student ratios, without unduly augmenting expenses, the way seems to be to institute anew grade. The teachers of this grade may be called Instructors as in the U.S.A. or Fellows. They will participate in the teaching of junior classes, and will have charge of tutorial groups. Besides they will help students in the running of extra-curricular activities. They may hold their appointment for a term of 3 to 5 years.
10. Research Fellows-In many universities scholarships are given to post-graduate students who have done well in their examinations and who desire to proceed to research. These scholarships are usually for a period of one or two years. Now some of these scholars show research abilities of more than average character, but at the expiry of their term of scholarship they seek jobs 'and become absorbed in different vocations; thus their special talents do not find the oppor- tunity of full development.
It is our opinion that some means should be found for retaining such scholars engaged in their researches without their being en- cumbered with teaching or other kinds of routine duties. They may be designated as Research Fellows.
11. Salaries-The classification of teachers involves the ques- tions of emoluments and conditions of service. In India there is a great variety of salary scales. Not only do the scales differ from university to university, scales of Government-managed institutions differ from those of Government-aided and privately-managed in- stitutions, and then again from those of missionary or unaided insti- tutions. Scales of professional and technical teachers differ from those of teachers of other subjects and departments. The scales in the colleges are not the same as in the universities. Thus for the same type of work we may have many types of payments. We give in the Appendix B the scales of pay in the different universities.
12. Present Scales-On the whole the scales are lower in the universities of the South Andhra, Annamalai, Madras, Mysore, Travancore, and higher in the universities of the Deccan and the North. While it may not be possible to introduce identical pay scales in all the degree colleges and universities of India, the dis-_ parities ought not to be so great and conditions of service ought to be more uniform. For example, the ordinary scale of a Professor in the Annamalai University is Rs. 250-15--400-20-500, that of a Reader Rs.200-10-300and of Lecturers Grade I Rs. 150-10250 and Lecturers Grade 11 Rs. 100-10-150.
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In Madras the following are the scales for university teachers:--
Professor Rs. 750-50-1,000
Reader Rs. 400-25-600)
Lecturer Rs. 210-15-300
The grades in the northern universities tend to fall into the
following pattern:-
Professor Rs. 800-50-1,250
Reader Rs. 500-30-800
Lecturer Rs. 250-25-500
13. Qualifications for the Different Grades-Now before we proceed to discuss our proposals regarding salaries, it is necessary to indicate the considerations underlying such proposals. The grada- tion of university staffs is based on consideration of experience, scholarship, research and teaching ability. The highest grade, namely that of a Professor, should obviously require the presence of all these at a high level. Normally the Professor ought to be a person who has taught the highest classes for a considerable number of years, has established his reputation for scholarship, is not merely a narrow specialist but has wide interests and a broad outlook, so that be can inspire and stimulate his colleagues in the department and effectively contribute to the solution of academic problems of the university. It is equally important that he should have a keen interest in the advancement of knowledge. He should not only be in touch with the latest developments in his branch of studies, but he should himself be an active member of the caravan which is carrying forward the precious burden of knowledge.
Ordinarily be will be about the age of 45. In the prime of life, mature in judgement and possessed of well-tested and well-considered ideas, he should fill the role of leader to both teachers and students, and of head of the department of his branch of learning.
The post of Reader, or as it, is known in the U.S.A of Associate Professor, is intended for one who is well-qualified to act as the Associate of the Professor, a man of learning and research who is mak- ing his mark in the world of scholarship. He has not the length of experience of the Professor as he starts in his appointment when he is about 35 years of age. But be is not burdened with administrative duties as the Professor is, and his main concern is with teaching and investigation. Either he possesses a research degree or has published papers embodying the results of his researches in recognised and well- established journals. e keeps abreast of the progress of his own line of study, and is capable of guiding research students.
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In the Lecturer we expect a first class academic record and, it is desirable that he should possess some teaching experience.. He ought to have a genuine disposition towards research and keenness for scholarship. A Lecturer should ordinarily have started as a, Research Scholar or Fellow who may have completed a thesis. He, should be able to speak clearly and with some degree of fluency. He. should be able to command the respect of his pupils and should have sympathy, tact and a sense of vocation. A Lecturer will start about 10 years younger than a Reader.
The post of Instructor or Fellow should be a tenure appointment for a term of 3 to 5 years. It should be open only to Masters. of Arts, Science, Commerce etc. whose academic career has been bright, and who have a real bent for scholarship. The Fellow will deal with under-graduates and much of his work will be to direct their studies, to impart supplementary instruction and to conduct tutorial classes, under the guidance of senior members of the staff., He will not be overburdened with work, so that be will have enough leisure to pursue his studies and by the foundations of a career of' scholarship and research.