India’s University Regulator Seeks to Raise Quality of Instructors

In a bid to improve the deteriorating quality of faculty members, India’s chief higher-education regulator, the University Grants Commission, said last week that professors’ promotions would now be based on their familiarity with and use of up-to-date, innovative teaching materials and methods, and the time they spend on tutorials and seminars, The Times of India reported. The commission has set up an elaborate points system covering those and other functions, adding to tough new rules for promotions and pay increases. One reason the universities continue to fall short in teaching and research is the poor English of its faculty members, according to a new study described by the BBC. The study, by the British Council, says that even though India’s emergence as a major technology hub has in part been made possible by its English-educated workers, a “huge shortage” of teachers and quality institutions is not responding to a growing demand for English skills.