NCERT comes up with scheme for unemployed PhD

The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has come up with an “associateship scheme” to utilize the experience of “young” educationists and researchers who have done their PhD on topics relating to school education but have still not got regular jobs.

A candidate to be selected under the scheme will be placed in any one of the constituent units of the council for conducting research.

The council will pay Rs 35,000 per month as a stipend to such candidates along with other facilities.

The term of the associates to be selected under the scheme will be of a maximum two years duration. The term may further be extended for a period up to one year "at the discretion" of the NCERT director on the recommendation of the respective heads of the department, the scheme document provides.

A candidate selected under the scheme will have an option to quit on getting a regular job.

The NCERT Research Associateship (Educationists’/Researchers’ Pool) Scheme has been envisaged on the lines of the Senior Research Associateship (Scientists’ Pool Scheme) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“This will give these young people a chance to contribute and gain experience in their relevant areas pertaining to school education. The NCERT, in particular, and the education system in India as a whole, will also gain from the energies, enthusiasm and knowledge of these young people,” an official said.

Candidates with PhD in any subject area related to school education or other allied disciplines, who is not more than 35 years of age as on the date of application, are eligible to apply for associateship under the scheme.

“The primary duties of the associates on selection will be to conduct research/teaching/professional work related to the identified area of their placement in any one of the constituent units of the council, depending on the area of work and the need of the unit,” the official said.

The associates to be selected under the scheme will have to devote “full time to the work assigned” during the associateship, he added.