Professor of practice: What impact can UGC's draft scheme have?

Over four years after launching a lateral entry scheme to induct private sector professionals in government departments, and almost a year after hiring 31 such experts for different departments and ministries, the government is now going to implement something similar in the field of education.

University Grant Commission recently approved draft guidelines under which professionals like civil servants, engineers, military personnel, lawyers, artists, and media persons with 15 years of experience might soon be able to teach at universities and colleges without a PhD or clearing the NET.

These ‘Professors of Practice’ will also design their own curriculum and collaborate with industry for project work and securing internships. The guidelines also said that these industry experts would be exempt from the condition of publishing a research paper, which is otherwise crucial for faculty recruitment at such institutions.

The hiring of a ‘professor of practice’ will not fill any of the sanctioned posts of the institutions. Thus, the scheme will not affect the number of sanctioned posts or the recruitment of regular faculty members.

The UGC has approved the scheme and is now seeking feedback on the draft guidelines. Before we get into the likely impact, let us understand the specifics of the guidelines. While distinguished experts from various fields will be welcome as candidates, the ‘professor of practice’ position will not be open to those in the teaching profession, either serving or retired.

Under the guidelines, these ‘professors of practice’ will be engaged for a fixed term. Their maximum tenure will be three years, with a conditional one-year extension. Also, the number of such professors will not exceed 10 per cent of the institution's sanctioned posts.

One of the key objectives of the guidelines, which are likely to be notified in September, is to ensure that what is being taught at these institutions meets the needs of the industry. Another is to give higher education institutions the opportunity to work on joint research and consultancy projects with these industry experts. The guidelines indicate a shift towards training and skilling relevant to industry.  

The engineering and information technology industries, in particular, might benefit from such a move in the long term.

According to a 2019 NASSCOM survey, India produces 15 lakh engineering graduates every year. However, only 2.5 lakh of them succeed in getting jobs in the core engineering industry.

Another survey by Aspiring Minds found that 80 per cent of Indian engineers were unemployed in 2019. The lack of industry-ready skills and work-readiness among newly-minted engineers is the problem. In the past, a mismatch has also emerged between the skills that the industry needs, such as AI, machine learning, and data engineering, and what is being taught, leading to a supply-demand gap in talent. 

A number of American and British universities and colleges appear to employ such professors of practice. Take for example the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT found that unlike their peers in industry and government, traditional faculty might be unable to pass on real-world lessons and professional experiences.

To bring the experience of decades of professional experience to its students, MIT started appointing professors of the practice and associate professors of the practice starting in 1997. Other top institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia have rosters of leading practitioners, many of whom teach on a part-time basis.

IITs and IIMs also employ ‘professors of practice’. For example, the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore says that in order to be considered for the associate or full professor of practice roles, the candidate must have more than 10 years of experience in industry or government in senior positions.

While the candidates must preferably hold a PhD, it is not an essential criterion. However, a lack of PhD must be offset by domain knowledge obtained in the field. In fact, the qualifications set out for professors of practice in the UGC guidelines are very similar to those required by some IITs for the same role.

However, a section of educators in India has reservations about the policy. The Delhi Teachers Association has opposed the Professor of Practice scheme, saying that it will dilute the quality of higher education.