UGC moots training for new teachers

Hyderabad: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with a proposal to prescribe a one-month residential induction programme for the newly recruited faculty members in the higher education.Christened as the Faculty Induction Programme (FIP), it mandates the new faculty in the higher education to undergo a one-month fully-residential training programme, in two phases, on various subjects related to the higher education.

Seeking the suggestions on its proposal, the UGC said that unlike teachers in school education, currently, the faculty in higher education usually join the teaching profession without any formal training in teaching, learning or assessment. Further, understanding and capabilities in these areas along with awareness of policies, governance and administrative structure are developed informally by the faculty members out of their own experiences or from experiences shared by their colleagues.

Against this backdrop, the UGC said that it has designed a formal, systematic FIP to effectively and efficiently handle the transition of new teachers into the teaching profession, it said.As part of the FIP, the newly recruited faculty members will be trained on topics like Understanding Higher Education in India. The 'Curriculum and Pedagogy in Higher Education for 18 days. Similarly, the 'Research and Professional Development' for four-and-half days.

The 'Personal-Emotional Development, Life skills, Counseling and Motivation' will comprises of 10 per cent of the training programme for three days and 'Values, Ethics and Environmental Consciousness' will cover 10 per cent of the training programme for 3 days, it said.A large part of the assessment of the FIP will be based on these six modules and there will be a built-in process of continuous assessment during the sessions through both the phases of the programme. It will carry 75 per cent weightage.

Further, at the end of the first phase of 18 days, every participant will be given "a practical assignment which may be tried out in the actual classroom situation or institutional context with the help of a mentor from the college/university where the teacher is located."

The report on it will be presented and discussed during the second phase of the induction programme, which carries 25 per cent weightage. Every new faculty member appointed will have to undergo the FIP within a period of one year from the date of his recruitment, the UGC said.