NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC)’s Professor of Practice (PoP) scheme to bring domain experts into academics has attracted talent from engineering, health sciences, marketing, and hotel management streams. According to the findings of the latest survey conducted by UGC, Tamil Nadu has hired the highest number of academic experts.
As many as 93 experts are taking classes on various topics in the state’s higher educational institutions (HEIs) and sharing their domain knowledge with students, thus helping them be industry-ready. Tamil Nadu is followed by Odisha (48), Maharashtra (35), Haryana (32), and Karnataka (29).
The other states are Delhi (15), Andhra Pradesh (10), Rajasthan (9), Telangana (6), and Punjab (5), said the survey. Other disciplines that have drawn experts to teaching are tribal studies, biotechnology, microbiology and biochemistry, leadership, HR, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Experts have been attracted to commerce, management, journalism, and artificial intelligence. UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar said, “It is good to see many universities appointing professors of practice in different disciplines.”
“These professionals bring practical knowledge, industry experience, and real-world insights into educational institutions,” he said. He said that the initiative received broader acceptance and hoped other universities would proactively utilise the scheme. The UGC chief said Tamil Nadu hiring the maximum number of PoPs shows a strong commitment to enhancing student learning with real-world industry insights.
Engineering and technology have drawn the highest number of experts, with as many as 87 experts taking classes in these HEIs. However, within engineering and technology, more computer science experts have taken up teaching, followed by electrical and electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, among others. The survey found that even Union Territories and states like Pondicherry (2) and Uttar Pradesh (1) have hired PoPs.
The UGC, as envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, introduced industry and other professional experts as Professors of Practice into academic institutions with the aim to help both industry and academia.
In September 2022, UGC notified the guidelines for engaging PoPs in academic institutions to enable HEIs to hire them. UGC also developed a portal for Professors of Practice to help institutions and experts.
Kumar said a clear trend also emerged, indicating that institutions with higher NAAC or National Assessment and Accreditation Council accreditation scores are likely to have PoP on board. NAAC assesses and accredits HEIs in various parameters.