COIMBATORE: A private engineering college in Tiruvarur has warned its teaching staff that they should produce good results or be prepared to get a pink slip.
The AICTE has said it has no such regulation.
Anjali Ammal Mahalingam Engineering College in Kovilvenni, Tiruvarur has informed its teaching staff that any teacher who produced less than 70 per cent results — that is if less than 70 per cent of their students pass — in a semester would be issued a show cause notice to the effect that their next increment would be stopped till they achieve the target in the subsequent semester.
If the teacher failed to reach the target the next semester as well, they would be issued an order terminating their employment along with a month’s salary in lieu of notice, the college’s principal, S N Ramaswamy, said in a circular dated October 13.
“It is disturbing to note there is considerable number of teachers consistently registering less than 70 per cent results in the university examination held in the recent past... No reasons have been given as to why... nothing substantial could be reflected,” Ramaswamy said in the circular, asking faculty members to make concerted efforts to improve the quality of education as well as result percentage and avoid facing any stern action.
Defending the move, Ramaswamy told Express, “This decision is no way related to threatening teachers. It is only to improve the quality of teachers and teaching-learning system. For the National Board of Accreditation, 70 per cent all pass is the foremost among requirements, which also include teaching beyond syllabus, extra knowledge acquired by the faculty, course/ programme outcome.”
The faculty has to improve their quality of teaching, delivery, quality of ability to understand new thing and transferring to students, he added.
However, All India Private College Employees Union (AIPCEU) president KM Karthik viewed this as an act of discrimination.
“This is a clear discrimination based on occupation and since All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) reduced the faculty-students ratio, this discrimination is very stark.”
When contacted, AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe said the body had no such regulation nor notice.
“Teachers’ performance is measured by many criteria starting from teaching-learning process, feedback from students which is most critical, engagement of students outside the classroom in projects, etc. We will keep sending our views on teacher assessment to colleges,” he added.