All India IIT Faculty Federation

Prof.(Ms.) M.Thenmozhi email: mtm@iitm.ac.in,

faoffice@iitm.ac.in
President
Phone: 044-22574562,50
All India IIT Faculty Federation Mobile:
9840133732

THE 6PC FOR IIT FACULTY: A White Paper

by The All India IIT Faculty Federation
28th September 2009

Why do we need this White Paper?

The earlier IITs at Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi were conceived of and established by the Parliament of India as
“Institutes of National Importance” following Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision for the nation. They were designed with his vision to
produce high quality human resources in the areas of Technology, Engineering, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences, in order to
make our nation self-reliant. They were also designed with his vision to engage in high quality research to provide science and
technology inputs for India’s all round development. Accordingly, the IITs should be logically seen not as pure teaching or pure research
institutions, but as institutions that blend teaching with research to develop that rare and elusive intellectual synergy. In any case, our
country needs different types of institutions founded on different philosophies concerning knowledge, its creation, utilization,
dissemination and application within and for the nation.

Since the IITs and the IIT system have a special status, they are governed/regulated through the IIT Council, the corresponding apex
body with the Minister of HRD serving as the Chairperson, and with the Chairpersons of the Boards of Governors (BoG) of the individual
IITs and the respective Directors among others comprising the members.. In other words, the IITs are not governed/regulated by the
UGC or the AICTE or any other such body, but the IIT Council. This point is important because it unambiguously reveals that the policies,
structure, systems and processes concerning the direction and operations of the IITs and the IIT system should reflect their special
status. It is noteworthy that India’s higher education system has several apex governing/regulatory bodies including inter alia the UGC
(for general higher education), AICTE (for technical, management and specified professional education), Medical Council of India (for
medical education), Council of Architecture (for Architecture education), Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (for
Accounting, Auditing education), etc., and it seems that these apex bodies are not within the purview of the same Ministry!!! Also, it is
clear that different Ministries (Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, Tourism, Environment and Forests, Shipping, Road Transport and
Highways, etc.) control distinctive educational institutions they promoted at various points of time. Most importantly, the IIT Council is
the only apex body that enjoys the presence of the Minister as its Chairperson and a very large membership of internationally renowned
intellectuals, and it seems that no other apex body of any group of sister institutions enjoys the same privilege.

Given the above background, and the following developments:

a) the present MHRD notifications and public statements of the concerned Honourable Minister regarding the 6th Pay Commission
scales applicable to the IIT system;
b) the fact that 15 (fifteen only) IITs are presently operational, with eight among them having been established only very recently
under the mentorship of the earlier seven IITs;
c) the massive expansion of the earlier seven IITs, in terms of a mandatory increase in student intake as well as launching
additional, newer programmes across disciplines, without a corresponding increase in faculty strength;
d) the impending establishment of foreign universities in our soil, for whom the operational policies are expected to be more liberal
than those for the IIT system;
e) the Concept Note of MHRD pronouncing the establishment of 14 (fourteen only) world-class National Universities to be developed
as global Centers of Innovation;
f) fulfillment of the much needed expansion in higher science education system through the establishment of the five Indian
Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER);
g) the establishment of specialized Institutions of higher technical education, viz. information technology sector (IIIT), design and
manufacturing sector (IIITDM), oil and natural gas sector (RGIPT), space sector (IIST), etc.;
h) the Government’s intent to make IIT quality education available to everyone (who would wish for it) through a Virtual University;
i) the possible establishment of Research Parks by, and in partnership with, the IITs, the first of which is ready for inauguration in
IIT Madras;

the new roles required of the IITs and the IIT system in India, and their future, need to be widely discussed. Obviously, the content,
nature and reach of faculty duties and responsibilities must necessarily change, while demonstrating the system’s spirit of excellence
even more vigorously. Are the pay scales and career paths good enough to attract the necessary number of high-quality faculty to the
IIT system?

The need for this White Paper, in the form of a tabular comparison, should now be obvious.

The table below presents a point-by-point comparison of the myths/misconceptions (that primarily arose from reports in the print media
and interviews/discussions in the electronic media) vis-à-vis the reality/facts (as per the All India IIT Faculty Federation) about specific
issues that have arisen following the MHRD’s notification of the 6th Pay Commission scales for the IIT system.
 ISSUE MYTHS/MISCONCEPTIONS
Basis of faculty “It’s about money ……… not
discontent autonomy”
Faculty members want
Competitive Pay
globally competitive pay.
The faculty members going
on one working day hunger
strike is inconsistent with
Working day fast
their dignity and diminishes
the image of IITs and is
“trade union” like.
There is virtually no attrition
Faculty attrition
of faculty members in the
rate
IITs.
REALITY/FACTS
a) It is about autonomy and money viewed together.
b) It is about retaining vs. infringement on existing autonomy in deciding terms
and conditions for faculty appointment.
c) Norms/Guidelines and conditions for faculty appointments notified/mandated
by bodies other than the IITs’ Boards of Governors (BoG) would violate IITs’
Acts and Statutes, viz. infringement on autonomy of IITs. So, changes in
minimum criteria for appointment as faculty members and creation/abolition of
posts are within the purview of the BoG.
d) The IIT system seems to be systematically downgraded by policy
interventions by the last few Pay Commissions.
a) Pay should be domestically competitive to attract and retain top quality
faculty members at all levels, and especially at the entry level of Assistant
Professors.
b) A comparison with Western universities or industry pay scales was never
raised by AIIITFF.
c) IIT Associate Professors and Professors seek a well deserved 1 to 2% overall
hike (Very high? Globally competitive?) over the Gross Pay mainly to maintain
the existing parity with comparable designations and scales in other Indian
Institutions.
a) The faculty members worked and discharged their regular duties (including
teaching, academic meetings and other administrative activities) while denying
themselves food for a day. So, there was NO strike.
b) This manner of collectively expressing deep concern is in no way undignified and
in fact enhances IITs reputation regarding discipline, restraint and commitment
to duty.
a) Faculty attrition rates have been low indeed, mainly because of the flexible
cadre structure, which motivates faculty members to perform excellently and
hope to reach the highest level in due time.
b) In regards recent recruitment exercises, rejection of appointment offers has
been worrisome. The rejections seem to have been influenced by the “pull”
from industry/other Institutions combined with the “push” of the IIT pay scales
and service conditions.
c) The proposed pay scales, which alter the flexible cadre structure, will lead to
higher attrition rates and rejection of appointment offers.
 a) IIT Professors do not
want to be evaluated.
b) This is an incentive to
40% limit for promote excellence at
Professors with the highest levels.
AGP 12000 c) This condition for IIT
Professors is far less
restrictive than for their
counterparts in other
Institutions.
a) At entry level, this
10% condition will
At least 10% of promote high quality.
the total faculty b) If any faculty member
strength should is hired directly as Asst.
be recruited at Prof. and he is not found
the level of Asst. to be good, he cannot be
Prof. on contract removed and hence he
has to come through the
contract route
An IIT faculty member can
Career become a Professor in 6
Advancement years, while in UGC it takes
about 15 years
Engineering and
Social Sciences Engineering faculty demand
faculty: higher salary than Social
Differences in sciences faculty
pay?
Development of IITs do not generate their
research facilities own funds
IIT Professors are in favour of performance evaluation by academic committees
appointed by the Board of Governors.
This is in fact a disincentive. Some Professors among the remaining 60%, despite
fulfilling the specified stringent performance norms, will have to wait until vacancies
arise.
There should be no such cap in any University/ Institution in India.
• The cap contradicts the time-tested system practised over five decades in IITs.
• Incentives, if any, should be offered outside the pay-structure.
• 40% cap is a blatant infringement on the autonomy of the system.
a) Entry level and career pay scales are not sufficient to attract high quality,
young faculty members. This 10% condition is again an infringement on the
autonomy of the IITs in regards faculty recruitment norms.
b) Faculty members in the IITs spend at least one year on probation at every
level (Asst. Prof., Assoc. Prof. and Prof.) when their appointment could be
cancelled. This accounts for quality. It seems that only in IITs, faculty
members should go through a contract stage of 3 years as Assistant Professor
before gaining a regular/ permanent position.
It is a wrong comparison.
• In UGC, a person with a Bachelors/Masters degree is eligible to join as a regular
Assistant Professor and be eligible for promotion to the post of Professor in a
minimum period of 16 years through career progression after obtaining the
required additional educational qualifications while in service.
• Under the proposed terms, a person takes additional 5-7 years to obtain a Ph.D.,
joins IIT as Asst. Prof. on contract, and then takes a minimum of 10 more years
to become Professor (3 years as Asst. Prof. on contract, 3 years as Asst. Prof.
and 4 years as Assoc. Prof.).
• Hence, a faculty member in IIT would take a minimum of 15-17 years after
Bachelor’s/Master’s degree to become Professor, while a UGC faculty member
would take 16 years after Bachelor’s/Master’s – not much of a difference.
IITs have uniform pay structure for their Humanities, Social Sciences, Management,
Basic Sciences and Engineering faculty and no change was demanded.
IITs generate majority of funds for development of research facilities through
Research Projects sponsored by MHRD, DST, DAE, ISRO, CSIR, DRDO, ARDB, etc.,
Alumni and foreign governments. For example, IIT Madras generated more than

IIT faculty earn lakhs of
Earnings through rupees by consultancy and
Consultancy salary is only icing on the
cake
IIT faculty members should
Noble Prize come up with a road map to
produce Nobel laureates
IITs should have a Vision and
Five Year Plan
set five year goal posts
The AIIITFF is solely and purely interested that the IIT system should shine as India’s finest example of higher technical education and
research. This will be possible if and only if the IIT system is enabled to attract the finest young faculty talent at entry level, and retain
the same for a period of more than three decades through imaginative and innovative academic and campus administration. In the light
Rs.65 crores during 2008-2009 for research.
Only very few IIT faculty, who are experts in some sectors experiencing massive
economic growth (like infrastructure), earn substantial money through consultancy,
which they offer voluntarily rather than mandatorily. Many faculty members do not
have sufficient opportunities for consulting because of their respective academic
disciplines. Therefore all faculty members cannot be mandatorily required to earn a
part of their salary through consultancy.
There are two kinds of projects:
a) Consultancy Projects: Only 20-25% of overall annual funds are generated
through consultancy. A significant portion of the budget is earmarked for
equipment and a small portion is charged as consultancy fee. While the
Institutions get a fairly significant portion of consultancy fees as overheads, the
faculty get only about half.
b) Sponsored Research Projects: These contribute to a major part of the funds
brought in by the faculty members, do not contribute to their personal income.
a) No one can possibly prepare roadmaps for winning Nobel Prizes, and more
so higher technical institutions in developing countries mandated to produce
high quality human resources for national self-reliance and there are no Noble
prizes in engineering and technology, particularly.
b) Institutions producing Noble Prize winners are provided enormous flexibility
and state-of-the-art research infrastructure facilities and involve limited
teaching responsibilities. In contrast, IITs blend teaching with research and
have fulfilled their mandate many times over by producing both high quality
human resources and world-class research with limited infrastructure facilities
and with limited scope for expansion.
c) Many IIT faculty members have earned and continue to earn the highest
respect of their peers across the world in academia and industry
d) The massive impacts of IITians and the IIT system can be learnt from
http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?cat_id=391&art_id=21226
IITs do work with a vision and long term plans which are presented in print and
their websites. IITs do have annual as well as medium and long-term goals. In all
the IITs, the Directors evolve these through the involvement of faculty members
and stakeholders.
of the above comparative table, the 6th Pay Commission notifications for the IITs should be revisited by the appropriate authorities
towards making the IITs continue with their journey through excellence.

*****