| 1. Employment as Status of Respect, Growth and | | | | teachers to migrate, any steps put forth to foster |
| Security | | | | improvement of human resources in education sector |
| At the same time, it is quite evident that many are | | | | by Planning Commission will be futile. |
| attracted towards higher education jobs of the love | | | | Though the Ministry of HRD has |
| for teaching or willingness to associate themselves | | | | not yet come up openly to stop the overseas |
| with their alma mater. In order to make the higher | | | | recruitment drive for teachers, it can at least slow |
| education jobs more attractive, both government and | | | | down the migration by implementing effective |
| private institutes are raising the salaries of professors | | | | management system across the country. Any surplus |
| and lecturers. The appeal by former President APJ | | | | number of teachers, after attaining the goal of HRD, |
| Abdul Kalaam to raise the salaries of defense | | | | may be allowed to go abroad to serve the global |
| personnel and school teachers is a booster to this | | | | education. Otherwise, the problem shall return to |
| sector. Every year teachers are recruited in the army | | | | square one. |
| as Junior Commissioned Officers.Even by assuming | | | | India is the fourth largest |
| that only as much as 11% of the Indians pursue higher | | | | developing commonwealth supplier of teachers to |
| education, the scope of mobilizing and deploying human | | | | Britain. Though India is worried about the brain drain of |
| resources in education sector will not be diminished. | | | | teachers, it is more concerned about providing jobs to |
| This has to be doubled to cope with the growing | | | | an estimated 10 millions graduates. |
| multitudes. | | | | There has always been a shortage of personnel in all |
| With enormous focus on the issues around human | | | | sectors. When it is faced by a sector that produces |
| resources in the education sector, the importance of | | | | human capital for various sectors of the economy, a |
| ‘knowledge societies’ has gained dimensions | | | | swift action is needed on a war footing to fill the |
| such as: i) education as a supplier of human resources | | | | lacuna. |
| ii) human resources for delivery of education. The first | | | | 5. Reforms to systemize Recruitment, Retention and |
| one needs a map to devise, implement and execute | | | | Improve Quality |
| the delivery model through skilled support services like | | | | The teacher-student ratio is appreciable and India |
| planning, administration, finance and quality heads. | | | | stands at 1:14 with one point up or down with respect |
| The second one is the core component mainly poised | | | | to the US, Sweden, Germany, Japan, and UK. |
| to attract, develop and retain quality teachers through | | | | Predominantly, employability of manpower depends on |
| effective human resources management. The human | | | | a lot of soft skills like patience, communication, |
| capital thus mobilized has to be distributed on levels of | | | | computer proficiency, presentation and people |
| ‘teacher demand and supply’ in rural, urban and | | | | management skills, besides academic qualification, |
| metro areas. The channeling parameters are: | | | | domain expertise and experience. The question here is |
| employment requirement, grade separation, domain | | | | how to make use of their growth for our economy? |
| expertise, training level, working conditions, individual | | | | Many private institutions have |
| career options, performance monitoring system and | | | | come to offer short term courses on induction |
| continuous knowledge update for development. | | | | trainings. There goes a saying, ‘the art of teaching |
| Recruitment of human resources | | | | cannot be taught’. In spite of qualifying for a |
| to the education sector has basically three professional | | | | professional degree, one needs to master the |
| stages- fresher or newly qualified, probationers and | | | | techniques of reaching the students through |
| experienced. As far as our country is concerned, HRM | | | | participation. |
| has responsibilities like forecasting the employment | | | | The Government and the UGC |
| requirements based on the Planning Commission’s | | | | have to chalk out a plan to capture the vital human |
| report and designing a fast and stable individual career | | | | resources, targeting the coverage from higher |
| growth and scope for upward mobility. Motivation and | | | | secondary to college level. This span of education of |
| sprucing up the staff morale depend on the extent to | | | | students is essential for decision-making on future |
| which the status of a teacher is accepted and | | | | course of career. |
| acknowledged in the society in terms of monetary | | | | Some better ways to ensure |
| value. | | | | retention of teachers are making the working |
| 2. Scope and Utilization of Quality Resources for | | | | atmosphere more acceptable and equivalent to that of |
| Future | | | | a corporate, elevating the social status with good pay, |
| The strategies emerging in managing the human | | | | providing ways for continuous learning and knowledge |
| resources involve retention of quality manpower, | | | | enrichment, non-traditional and informal ways of |
| optimum utilization of the skills and quality up gradation. | | | | teaching methods, guest lectures, Internet and the |
| A newly qualified teacher may stay the promising job | | | | broadband access, online tutoring etc. When invitees |
| for about 30 years or so, without much mobility | | | | cannot make it up, teleconferencing facility can be |
| upwards. If within a decade of high school teaching | | | | provided. This mode of reaching the masses has |
| experience, if the secondary grade teacher | | | | already been followed by Indira Gandhi National Open |
| adequately qualifies for an M.Phil or a PhD, he/she | | | | University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and many |
| could be directly promoted to the rank of a Lecturer/ | | | | others, since the 1980s. |
| Asst.Professor. | | | | International or Inter-state |
| It is the management’s | | | | Teachers Exchange programs could be mooted to |
| responsibility that the manpower recruited is utilized | | | | give an online experience of cross-cultural adjustments, |
| fully to the optimum level. Never should skilled staff be | | | | new system of education, syllabus content, |
| underutilized or ignored for want of basic infrastructure, | | | | examination pattern, interpersonal approach, |
| non-availability of students, inadequate compensation | | | | psychology, counseling, management, combinational |
| and poor working conditions. | | | | methods of teaching, evaluation procedures, lateral |
| A flexible lucrative system will | | | | enrolment in higher education program for teachers |
| definitely facilitate a continuous inflow of high quality | | | | etc. |
| personnel who will join the workforce, year after year. | | | | Teachers, as a whole, should be |
| The sixth Pay Review Commission recommended | | | | gathered ‘grade wise’ under the general |
| fixing the age of superannuation of all college and | | | | system in every state. The compensation and benefits |
| university teachers throughout India at 65 years and | | | | have to match the government prescribed norms for |
| selective reemployment on contract basis up to the | | | | private schools also. When private institutions are |
| age of 70. This will ensure optimum utilization of | | | | unable to cope with the predetermined norms, highly |
| resources for the rest of the years. This concept | | | | skilled teachers either divert themselves or leave the |
| applies to high school, secondary level and university | | | | job. If private institutions do not reach up to the |
| faculty members also. At any point of time, more | | | | expectations of the norms, licenses need not be |
| number of seniors will be available in buffer. | | | | sanctioned. Thus, the pilfering of human resources can |
| There is a shortage of about 8, | | | | be stopped. It is time that the government implemented |
| 00,000 primary and middle school teachers. Given | | | | the Minimum Wages Act and systemized the career |
| India’s youthful population, the situation does not | | | | of the underpaid teaching faculty. |
| look promising: 6.5% of India’s teachers retire every | | | | ‘Given our population, we need |
| year; at this rate, the country will be left with 3, 50,000 | | | | to double the number of teaching structure and this is |
| primary and middle school teachers by 2011 end. | | | | not possible with the public sector alone. We need the |
| Initially, all schools have to be mapped under a general | | | | private sector also to pitch in equally’, said Planning |
| pool and mobility to be facilitated within schools of | | | | Commission Chairman MS Ahluwalia. |
| similar boards or pattern of education. Vacancy and | | | | On par with corporate organizations, the Board of |
| recruitment is a continuous process. Teachers retire | | | | Education should evolve a time-tested method to |
| every month and so vacancies do exist. Not always | | | | redress grievances, look into dissatisfaction, improve |
| the vacancies are filled immediately; temporary staff or | | | | performance appraisal and draw successful career |
| skilled non-domain teachers are appointed interim. | | | | plans. Political pressure and favoritism should be strictly |
| Necessary steps have to be taken to bridge the gap | | | | kept at bay. Any unlawful and unjustified punishments |
| by effective HRM by minimizing the lead time. | | | | in the form of transfers should be stopped forthwith. |
| 3. Where Have the Teachers Gone, Hibernation or | | | | 6. Bifurcation of HRM System and Mass Drive |
| Migration? | | | | Every taluk, district and metro has to formulate |
| Teachers are becoming like an endangered species. | | | | ‘Action Groups’ under the supervision of an |
| Many experienced teachers in our country have either | | | | Educational Director, who may have all data relevant |
| migrated or changed the careers for better prospects. | | | | to his zone and sub-zone, at the click of a button. |
| When teachers migrate within the | | | | Number of schools at all levels, applications waiting for |
| country, their number is conserved but the respective | | | | new sanction, each school strength, number of |
| state or school will be deprived of their services. If they | | | | teachers, non-teaching staff, pay structure, info of |
| migrate abroad, then it is brain drain. The whole nation | | | | retirees, memos, transfers, vacancies, exchange |
| is deprived of their services. What makes the highly | | | | programs, standard of quality, etc. have to be |
| experienced teaching manpower to be carried along | | | | streamlined. The management of resources |
| with the overseas current? | | | | module-wise, simplifies the task of the director and the |
| The school managements and | | | | focus of supervision is intensified with precision. |
| local governments dealing with institutions of higher | | | | At the micro level, |
| education in the West, particularly in the US and Britain, | | | | Sub-Directorates will control primary and secondary |
| are satisfied with the quality performance of a large | | | | boards of school administration in their respective |
| number of Indian academics hired by them. Going | | | | zones and in turn, will be controlled by the Central |
| through the advertisements in newspapers or Internet, | | | | State Directorate. At present, the Tamil Nadu |
| it is true that those countries have deficit manpower to | | | | Teachers Recruitment Board follows a single-window |
| handle Science, Math and English. In spite of the | | | | counseling to help it secure the desired choice of |
| operational problems faced by them, there is a | | | | posting within available vacancy. It has been noticed in |
| widespread appreciation for their academic and | | | | the Gujarat Board that fake certificates have snooped |
| intellectual contributions. Our teachers who feel | | | | in along with the applications and a large chunk of time |
| underestimated, underutilized, and underpaid and could | | | | is being consumed in the verification of the job |
| not make it on the home turf, find migrating the next | | | | applications. |
| best option. | | | | Recently, the Government of AP |
| Quite interestingly, our history has | | | | has taken a decision to appoint teachers on a mass |
| recorded the migration of Buddhist teachers during the | | | | scale to fill the vacancies in the Government-aided |
| period of Nalanda and Vikramasila to Tibet and China | | | | schools of the state. As a result of this, more than |
| along with libraries and literatures. It also cites the | | | | 50,000 teachers will be appointed in 76,213 schools. |
| exchange of learned scholars between Kanchi and | | | | To strengthen this process of |
| Kasi. Today, our country has moved from being a | | | | new governance and management system, many |
| job-seeking economy to one that is being driven by | | | | non-teaching support services personnel have to be |
| demand in developed nations for services and migrant | | | | proportionately recruited at sub-zone level. Some |
| workers. | | | | senior teachers may be considered for the training |
| 4. Role of Consultancy in Recruitment of Teachers | | | | faculty positions on deputation, optional career or |
| Ma foi Management Consultancy started recruiting | | | | contract basis, with the staff college. This new era of |
| teachers in 2002 for schools in Dubai and Britain, | | | | multi-employment helps to rejuvenate and strengthen |
| where there is rising demand for Indian teachers. The | | | | the network and helps to ease the operations of the |
| hiring authorities pay consultancy fees and bear the | | | | central workload pressure from several channels |
| airfare and other expenses of teachers they recruit. | | | | hitherto happening. |
| Many more consultancies have come out with official | | | | As population is progressing, |
| emigration licenses to help the English-speaking | | | | multiple routes are required to manage human |
| teachers fly on Highly Skilled Migrant Program called | | | | resources with time and its optimum utilization to |
| HSMP. | | | | achieve the ‘win-win’ situation. Henceforth, the |
| When an exclusive recruitment | | | | teaching profession will be a dignified and more sought |
| drive is planned and designed to help our inland | | | | after ‘white collar’ job in the near future. |