Maximum professors of practice hired in Tamil Nadu followed by Maharashtra, Gujarat: UGC Data

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu is leading the way in hiring industry experts as professors of practice in its Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to impart real-world experiences in the classroom. The state is followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat, according to UGC data.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2022 released guidelines to hire professors of practice (PoP) at HEIs to inject professional acumen into classroom environments, in order to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

The position is strictly temporary and does not displace sanctioned posts. Eligibility demands a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience — ideally in senior positions.

According to the data, 1,841 PoPs have been hired by 349 HEIs so far, the maximum of them being in Tamil Nadu (395).

While 193 PoPs have been hired in Maharashtra (193), Gujarat and Karnataka have appointed 179 and 170 professionals, respectively.

Leading the way in hiring industry professionals in the academic workforce are private universities, while the central universities have hired only 15 PoPs so far.

In contrast, deemed-to-be universities have made 699 appointments, private universities have reached 715, state universities added 212 PoPs, and colleges have employed 200 PoPs.

India's higher education landscape includes 56 central, 460 state, 128 deemed-to-be, and 510 private universities, together with more than 45,000 colleges, signalling the limited diffusion of PoP appointments at central universities.

"In order to bring in distinguished experts from various fields of engineering, science, technology, entrepreneurship, etc., and to develop courses and curriculum to meet the industry and societal needs and to enable the HEls to work with industry experts on joint research project, concept of professor of practice has been adopted, and thereby provide exposure and mentorship to students by domain experts," a senior UGC official said.

"The maximum duration of service of a professor of practice at a given institution should not exceed three years and is extendable by one year in exceptional cases, and the total service should not exceed four years under any circumstances," he added.

The official explained that the PoP scheme provides an opportunity for those in leadership positions in different fields to come on an honorary basis so as to give back to society and contribute towards nation-building.