New Delhi: India’s apex medical education regulatory has proposed new eligibility qualifications for teachers to improve standards as it seeks to weed out ghost faculty and incompetent teachers.
The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) draft Teachers Eligibility Qualifications Regulations (TEQ) 2024 suggest speciality-wise academic qualifications for faculty, minimum experience and the maximum age till which teachers can be granted extensions.
Appointments and promotion of faculty in various teaching specialities imparting graduate and postgraduate medical education at institutions falling within the purview of the NMC has to be in accordance with the minimum qualifications and experience prescribed to maintain a standard of teaching, said the draft, issued by B Srinivas, secretary, NMC.
Experts view the proposed regulations as a positive and necessary step for improving medical education, and enhancing the quality of medical teaching, especially in private medical colleges, where there has historically been significant variation in standards.
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“Medical colleges, particularly private ones, have significant diversity in terms of state regulations and teaching standards. This disparity can lead to unequal educational outcomes,” said Dr Aashish Chaudhry, managing director at New Delhi's Aakash Healthcare. “Unless teaching is carried out in a regulated and structured manner, the graduates produced by these institutions may lack the necessary knowledge and skills.”
The draft regulations fix 70 years as the maximum age for a person to be appointed or granted extension or re-employed in the service as a teacher or medical superintendent or dean or principal or director as graduate and post-graduate medical education institutions.
The position of dean/director/principal should be held by a person possessing recognized postgraduate medical degree from a recognized institution with a minimum of 10 years of teaching experience as professor/associate professor at a medical college, of which at least five years should be as professor in the department. The regulator said appointment to these posts shall be made on seniority cum-merit basis and they shall not hold the post of head of the department. However, they can become head of a unit.
Similar qualification requirements are applicable to the post of medical superintendent in the hospital. In case of a tutor or a demonstrator, the minimum qualification required shall be MBBS.
“Those superspecialty faculty working in a medical college in a broad specialty department will be considered eligible to be faculty of equivalent cadre of super speciality department of his/her speciality,” the draft said.
The regulator has cited detailed norms for teaching faculty in medical institutions of defence services.
Dr Chaudhry, however, said there was a need to reduce disparity in compensation of teachers at medical colleges.
“Teaching positions in medical colleges, especially private ones, are often less financially rewarding compared to clinical roles in hospitals or corporate healthcare settings,” he said. “Many clinicians prefer to pursue private practice or work in corporate hospitals, where they can earn significantly higher incomes. As a result, medical colleges face challenges in attracting and retaining qualified faculty. Additionally, the lack of adequate remuneration and job satisfaction in academic positions exacerbates this problem.”
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“It is important to provide competitive salaries, better incentives, and professional development opportunities for faculty,” he said.
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