Sunday 10 February 2013

Informal employment in a formal system of education in India




Let us first try and understand, what we mean by the formal and informal sectors, which can also be substituted by organized and unorganized sectors. As, this classification of `organised' and `unorganised' sectors is used by The National Accounts Statistics (NAS) in presenting national income data.

‘In general, all enterprises which are either registered or come under the purview of any one of the acts like the Indian Factories Act 1948, Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957, the Company Law, the Central/State Sales Tax Acts, the Shops and Establishment Acts of the State governments, are defined as part of the organized sector. Also included are all government companies, departmental enterprises and public sector corporations. Similarly, forestry, irrigation works, plantations, recognized educational institutions, and hospitals which are registered as non-profit making bodies are also classified as organized sector. All unincorporated enterprises and household industries which are not regulated by any acts of the above mentioned type and which do not maintain any annual reports presenting the profit and the loss and balance sheets are classified as unorganized’ (National Accounts Statistics - NAS 1980: pp 69).

 We can see here that educational institutions are classified under the formal or organized sector. But, some elements of informal elements have existed in some degree or the other in all formal systems/ set-ups, the reason why we are discussing the issue of informal employment here is, because it is a current problem which is plaguing our national capital public universities now for a long time. 

 This is an issue which has affected me and many of my friends deeply.  Being in academics, I never imagined that jobs would be hard to come by even after a doctorate degree, or all my experience I would gain by working informally in the formal system of education.
My professors who have taught me, have found it difficult to get a promotion, either from Assistant to Associate Professor, or from Associate to Senior Professor rank.
 All the universities of Delhi- Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, JawaharLal Nehru University, and even new universities like Ambedkar University, and South Asian University have instituted it and have been following this new policy.
These universities instead of recruiting permanent new faculty are hiring more and more Guest and adhoc teachers. Earlier, guest faculty jobs were given against study leave or medical leave. But, since two years or so, no new permanent jobs have been advertised, and universities are just running on guest faculties. There is no job security, no stability as after every semester recruitments are done for just three months. And after every three months/ semester, this process is repeated.  
   It is a known fact that universities are facing financial crunch, but to implement new ideas (like the 4 year Bachelor's course) with no infrastructure (especially with shortage of teachers) in place in an age old system, it does not look like a brilliant idea.



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