Pandit Deendayal Energy University stands 68th in the Engineering category in the recent National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for 2021. A segment of senior academicians who have investigated NIRF entries by key colleges has red-hailed that, PDEU doubled up the number of administrative staff members as assistant professors.
“Analysis of the details uploaded by PDEU revealed that the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), Chief Finance Officer (CFO), administrative executive, examination staff and even personal assistant and secretary have been listed as ‘assistant professors’,” said a senior academician. “This effectively means that many of the key administrative staff were full-time faculties teaching at the university along with imparting their non-teaching duties,” said sources.
“It is to note that the CFO is also discharging the responsibility as director of Innovation and Incubation Centre of the University, and thereby spearheading skill-based and entrepreneurship programs to the students. He has also been delivering courses relevant to his expertise at the university for many years. CHRO is also mandated with teaching responsibility and is also the senior mentor at the same centre,” the mentioned the email.
Around 10 or more managerial staff individuals are recorded as assistants – a position that requires super durable work with a PhD degree or unique mastery – the registrar said that they have the capability and skill to bestow scholastic progress. “Such staff undertake language courses for the foreign students/ student mentoring in Student Research Programmes/ field exploration, data collection and other learning modules. Some of them also prepare students for developing innovative proposals for its incubation, soft skills and professional skill development as well”, mentioned the email.
The university hopped to an amazing 109 spot from 177th positions in (NIRF) 2020. The PDEU, which didn’t figure in the main 300 college classification last year, additionally ranks 73rd across India in NIRF 2021.
Its excellence in performance on several parameters, namely research work, student placements, inclusivity and outreach and a good student-teacher ratio among others, are being credited for the feat. PDEU had 313 staff individuals in 2020 which rose by 43% to 449 out of 2021. To place the expansion in context, the NIRF entries by the Nirma University saw the quantity of workforce ascend from 525 to 528, a simple 0.5%, and IIT Gandhinagar 111 to 122, an ascent of 9%. MS University then again recorded a drop of 60% in personnel numbers from 1,457 to 589.
When asked the media Official, that why were the administrative staff were shown as assistant professors. PDEU enlistment centre Prof Tarun Shah said that there is no inconsistency in the subtleties submitted to the NIRF for appraisal. “…National Education Policy 2020 is being followed wherein in-house talent is being used to impart skill-based and experiential learning courses…” All entries made to the NIRF are accessible on the college’s official website.
PDEU top administration said that such individuals from the staff have been appropriated as a piece of the showing brotherhood under skill training modules according to National Education Policy 2020. Answering the pay scale of the ‘assistant professors,’ the authorities confirmed that they do draw the salary for the teaching work conducted.
According to an academic expert, as per the NEP guideline, 35% of courses were modified as skill-based and experiential learning courses, requiring a new set of teaching-learning resources (TLR)… A significant take in the HR policy is needed to achieve NEP objectives in addition to the regular teaching pattern. Since 35% of skill-based courses are appropriated in our curriculum, we need proficiency in several verticals, including co-curricular and extracurricular courses, which are to be embedded in the main design of curriculum 2020 at PDEU,” mentioned the registrar in an email response. “In this endeavour, we have given top priority to adopt appropriate in-house expertise available for several of these courses. We have a highly talented skillset from both the Academic & admin staff, to this end.
The Registrar of a top private college stated to know that there are three categories, yet to be recorded for NIRF and they don’t for the most part cross-over. “The categories include teaching, administration and science. Thus, if the other categories are involved in teaching, it surely is a unique idea,” said the registrar.
PDEU authorities said that the accommodation was properly checked by NIRF specialists and all due care is required to guarantee that all the right data is accommodated in something similar.
