Tenuous Tenure

TISS to recruit faculty on contractual basis - The Economic Times: "MUMBAI: Performance indicators and pink slips are no longer the domain of grueling corporate jobs. Something fundamental is changing in public universities of India that have always provided their teachers job security and the comfort of fixed work hours.

The government funded Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) plans to recruit faculty on their Hyderabad campus on a contractual basis. It is only after a regular annual assessment, which includes students' evaluation, will their term be extended.

The new campus which saw initial financial support from the Azim Premji Foundation , will conduct several interdisciplinary courses, essentially requiring more than just teaching from a text. The decision on recruitment rules was taken as it was felt faculty sign up with a lot of enthusiasm but, as years roll by, the 'promise of pension' turn many to deadwood, said sources."