UGC to review career advancement scheme, academic performance indicators

Chennai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) will review Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) and Academic Performance Indicators (API), using which a faculty gets promotion in universities and colleges.

Speaking on the sidelines of the college day function at SRM Dental College, Ramapuram here on Saturday, UGC Vice Chairman H. Devaraj said a person becomes a faculty by 28 years and gets promoted as professor by 40 after which he has no promotion.

“To motivate professors who work after 40 and enhance their research, we have decided to review CAS and API, for which a committee has been constituted,” he said. Earlier, giving away medals and awards to students, the Vice-Chairman urged doctors to enhance their skills in computers and mathematics, as medical treatment has no boundaries these days.

“Doctors treat patients across continents through tele-medicine, so doctors should have good skills in computers. Also today it is not important that we have Ph.Ds, but we need to have good professionals,” he added.

SRM university founder-chancellor T.R. Paari Vendhar said the university has allotted Rs 1 crore to fund student projects as the institution concentrates more on research. He exhorted doctors to serve in rural areas and help poor as government and several other private hospitals cater to the needs of urban population. SRM University registrar N.Sethuraman requested UGC to provide funds for deemed universities, including SRM for research. “We (SRM varsity) have applied to the Commission for 12(B) status which would help us to receive funds. We hope that the Commission will grant us the status,” he said.