In light of the ghost faculty scam that rocked the reputation of Anna University (AU) a few months ago, the premier institution has now issued strict guidelines to its affiliated colleges regarding the submission of faculty details.
In a circular, the AU registrar has warned the affiliated colleges that if correct details are not provided within the stipulated time, the college's affiliation will be withdrawn, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The colleges have been directed to submit all details regarding the faculty and infrastructure on the online 'affiliation monitoring system', which will be verified through an inspection process.
Faculty details authenticated by biometric devices with Aadhaar and respective unique faculty ID issued by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) must be submitted. The varsity has asked the colleges to submit the details online by January 31, or by February 7 with a late fee of Rs 50,000.
Individual faculty data sheets should contain actual details of the faculty member and their signature. They should ensure that the faculty members submit their correct mobile numbers and contact addresses.
Faculty qualifications and experience details with pay scale and cadre ratio should be strictly followed as per (AICTE/University Grants Commission (UGC) or 6th Central Pay Commission or 7th CPC) norms for grant of affiliation.
"All certificates, AICTE faculty ID, PAN and Aadhaar details should be verified with the originals of faculty members before uploading the details to the university. The AICTE faculty ID will be mandatory for all faculty members," said a university official. There are 433 affiliated engineering colleges under the AU.
Though the affiliated colleges have welcomed the initiative, they have expressed their helplessness in following it in proper letter and spirit. "It is good that Anna University has taken a slew of measures to check duplication of faculty, but fulfilling all the norms will be a herculean task. There has been no fee hike for the last seven years. So, from where will we pay the 6th/7th CPC scale of pay to the teachers," said the principal of an affiliated engineering college, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The university has also mentioned that laboratory equipment should be in working condition and all experiments stipulated as per regulation have to be demonstrated to the inspection committee.
Additionally, one professor or associate professor with PhD qualification in the appropriate discipline is mandatory for every postgraduate (PG) programme, failing which the affiliation shall not be extended.
