Lok Sabha Question No. 621 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-06
Subject: Teachers in IGNOU
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: YERRAM VENKATA SUBBAREDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 621 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 th FEBRUARY, 2017

## Teachers in IGNOU

## 621. SHRI Y.V. SUBBA REDDY:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is true that in view of severe crunch of teachers in universities, the Ministry has increased the age of superannuation of 'classroom teachers' from 62 to 65 years and the definition of 'classroom teacher' in this regard;

(b) the details of Centrally funded higher education institutions in the country, Statewise;

(c)  whether  it  is  not  a  fact  that  Indira  Gandhi  National  Open  University  (IGNOU)  teachers mandate/duty is to prepare/edit curriculum and they are never involved in classroom teaching since the concept of IGNOU is distance learning;

(d)  whether  IGNOU  Act  permits  Board  of  Management  to  take  any  decision  even  without amending the IGNOU Act and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) if so, whether Ministry is aware that IGNOU has increased superannuation age from 62 to 65 on its own and if so, the response of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)

(a): In the light of the shortage in teaching positions in the centrally funded institutions in higher and technical education, the enhancement in the age of superannuation from 62 to 65 years for teaching positions only had been approved vide MHRD's letter No. 1-19/2006-U.II dated  23 rd March, 2007.

(b): The State-wise details of the centrally funded higher education institutions in the country is given at Annexure.

(c):  The  Indira  Gandhi  National  Open  University  (IGNOU)  is  a  special  type  of  university established under IGNOU Act, 1985 for the introduction and promotion of open university and distance education systems in the educational pattern of the country.  The facts remain that no university can run its academic activities through face to face or distance mode without its core faculty i.e. Professors, Associate Professors & Assistant Professors. However, IGNOU being a distance mode university is associated & involved with all kinds of activities as are done in the face to face mode universities. Accordingly, the  teachers in IGNOU are engaged in curriculum design; planning the instructional design for transacting the curriculum to its learners dispersed throughout  the  country;  development  of  courses  and  programmes  of  study  in  multiple  media such  as  print,  audio,  video  e-content  etc.  and  also  tutoring  and  counseling  learners  through tutorials/counseling    sessions  organized  using  various  media  such  web  conferencing,  radio, television,  teleconferencing,  online  discussion  forums,  including  face-to-face  sessions  etc; assessment  and  evaluation  of  learners  through  formative  and  summative  evaluation  methods throughout  the  year;  besides  being  involved  in  policy  making,  liaising  with  apex  bodies, academic administration.

(d):  The  Statute  7  of  the  university  provides  for  the  powers  and  functions  of  the  Board  of Management of the university as envisaged under the IGNOU Act, 1985.

(e): Based on the letter No. 1-19/2006-U.II dated 23.03.2007 of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Indira Gandhi National Open  University (IGNOU)  enhanced  the age of superannuation of its teachers from 62 to 65 years. However, at that time the University could not get its Statutes amended as per the provisions of the IGNOU Act, 1985. In September, 2016, IGNOU decided to amend its Statutes to make the age of retirement of its teaching staff as 65 years and the communication on the same has since been received in MHRD.

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## ANNEXURE  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  'B'  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  621  FOR  ANSWER  ON  06.02.2017  ASKED  BY  SHRI  Y.V.  SUBBA REDDY REGARDING TEACHERS IN IGNOU

| S.No.   | State                               |   Total No. of centrally funded higher education institutions |
|---------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                      |                                                             6 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh                   |                                                             3 |
| 3       | Assam                               |                                                             5 |
| 4       | Bihar                               |                                                             5 |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                        |                                                             4 |
| 6       | National Capital Territory of Delhi |                                                             7 |
| 7       | Goa                                 |                                                             2 |
| 8       | Gujarat                             |                                                             4 |
| 9       | Haryana                             |                                                             3 |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh                    |                                                             4 |
| 11      | Jammu and Kashmir                   |                                                             5 |
| 12      | Jharkhand                           |                                                             5 |
| 13      | Karnataka                           |                                                             5 |
| 14      | Kerala                              |                                                             5 |
| 15      | Madhya Pradesh                      |                                                            10 |
| 16      | Maharashtra                         |                                                             6 |
| 17      | Manipur                             |                                                             2 |
| 18      | Meghalaya                           |                                                             3 |
| 19      | Mizoram                             |                                                             2 |
| 20      | Nagaland                            |                                                             2 |
| 21      | Odisha                              |                                                             5 |
| 22      | Puducherry                          |                                                             2 |
| 23      | Punjab                              |                                                             7 |
| 24      | Rajasthan                           |                                                             4 |
| 25      | Sikkim                              |                                                             2 |
| 26      | Tamil Nadu                          |                                                             6 |
| 27      | Telangana                           |                                                             5 |
| 28      | Tripura                             |                                                             2 |
| 29      | Uttar Pradesh                       |                                                             9 |
| 30      | Uttarakhand                         |                                                             4 |
| 31      | West Bengal                         |                                                             8 |
|         | Total                               |                                                           142 |