'Revision of promotion rules won't result in retrenchment in varsities'

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry on Wednesday said there will be no retrenchment of faculties in the universities with the implementation of the revised promotion rules.

“There is no question of retrenchment of teachers on account of API (Academic Performance Index) scores. The classroom teaching hours will be restored (to what it had been so far),” Higher Education Secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi told reporters here, apparently to allay apprehensions of the Delhi University teachers association (DUTA), which has been protesting the revision of the regulations by the university grants commission (UGC) for the last several days.

The higher education secretary also assured that there will be no cap on working hours spent by the university faculties on tutorials, practicals, field works, direct classroom teaching and project supervision.

“All caps in API scores have been removed except for invited lectures. It’s because this sub category in API scores should not remain open ended. I want to reassure that achieving a minimum API score in direct teaching will be possible,” he said, after the full commission meeting of the UGC.

The UGC recently introduced an increase of two hours per week in classroom teaching for assistant professors and associate professors.