ABOUT THE INSTITUTION: UGC-HRDC (Academic Staff College)

UGC-HRDC (Academic Staff College), Osmania University, Hyderabad (Established in 1987)

The National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 in its programme of action makes a pointed reference to the crucial link between teacher motivation and the quality of education. The NPE recognized the need for improving the status of the teacher and proposed to provide opportunities for professional and career development so that teachers may fulfill their role and responsibility within the system of higher education. It was proposed to enhance their motivation skills and knowledge through systematic orientation in specific subjects, techniques and methodologies, and thereby inculcate in them the right kind of values that would in turn encourage them to take initiatives for innovative and creative work.

Scope of the UGC-HRDC (Academic Staff College)

The UGC-HRDC (Academic Staff College) will cater to the needs of teachers of the Colleges / Universities as decided by the UGC from time to time.

Functions of an HRDC (ASC)

The functions of an HRDC (Academic Staff College) will be to plan, organise, implement, monitor and evaluate orientation courses for newly appointed college/university lecturers within the jurisdiction of one or more universities in a state. An HRDC will also organise refresher courses for in serving teachers, and orientation programmes for senior administrators and heads of department, principals, officers, etc. Specifically, an ASC will:

1. Formulate a programme of orientation along the broad guidelines given above.

b. Identify resource persons in various fields of specialisation for running the orientation course and refresher courses, and familiarise such resource persons with the philosophy and guidelines for the courses. The list of resource persons should be approved by the chairman of the advisory committee of ASC.

c. Set up a documentation-centre-cum-library for reference and source materials necessary for the courses.

d. Produce specially designed material required for effective implementation of the courses.

e. Organise, monitor and evaluate courses for teachers

f. Create a culture of learning and self-improvement among teachers so that it becomes an integral part of the educational system at the tertiary level.

g. Organise orientation programmes for heads of department, principals, deans and other decision-makers to familiarise them with the philosophy of orientation to facilitate reform in higher education through appropriate modification of the management systems at various levels.

h. The refresher courses run by the ASC will provide opportunities for teachers in service to exchange experience with their peers and to mutually learn from each other.

i. Provide a forum for serving teachers to keep themselves abreast of the latest advances in various subjects.

j. Provide opportunities to further widen their knowledge and to pursue research studies.

k. Provide an introduction to new methods and innovations in higher education so that the participants can in turn develop their own innovative methods of instruction.

The thrust areas for each refresher course will be decided by the director in consultation with the course coordinator

Objectives

The objectives of the Academic Staff College (ASC) are to enable (newly appointed) lecturers to:

a. understand the significance of education in general, and higher education in particular, in the global and Indian contexts,

b. understand the linkages between education and economic and socio-economic and cultural development, with particular reference to the Indian polity where democracy, secularism and social equity are the basic tenets of society

c. acquire and improve basic skills of teaching at the college/university level to achieve goals of higher education;

d. keep abreast of the latest developments in their specific subjects;

e. understand the organisation and management of a college/university and to perceive the role of teachers in the total system;

f. utilise opportunities for development of personality, initiative and creativity; and

g. Promote computer literacy as well as Internet knowledge.

The objective of this scheme is to provide an opportunity to research scholars to undertake advanced study and research in engineering and technology, and agricultural engineering, leading to Ph.D. Subjects like geology and geo-physics are not considered under this scheme.

Keeping the above objectives in view, the following steps were proposed:

a. to organise specially designed orientation programmes in pedagogy, educational psychology and philosophy, and socio-economic and political concerns for all new entrants at the level of lecturers;

b. to organise such programmes (orientation/refresher courses) for serving teachers, covering every teacher at least once in three to five years;

c. to organise specially designed orientation programmes/refresher courses in IT for new entrants as well as for in-service teachers; and

d. to encourage teachers to participate in seminars, symposia, workshops, etc.