August 28, 2018
Higher Education: Excellence in administration
The State Higher Education Department has taken initiatives for achieving excellence in several areas of administration, including e-governance and welfare of teaching and non-teaching staff.
E-governance initiatives
- Admission process for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses made online in all Government and
- Government-aided higher education institutions (HEI)
- E-pension implemented by Higher Education Department
- E-office implemented in Higher Education Department
- Applications for, and verification of applications under, Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship and K3 segment of Kanyashree Scheme made online
- E-billing and e-salary through Human Resource Management System (HRMS) introduced in all Government and Government-aided colleges
- Fund allocation from Government done through e-bantan and e-pradaan software under the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS)
- E-tendering and e-procurement made mandatory in HEIs for procurements beyond Rs 5 lakh
- Admission process for teacher education programmes made online
- Provisions made for e-selling of books across disciplines and courses under West Bengal State Book Board
- GIS mapping has completed for HEIs, which provides for an effective planning and monitoring tool
Exemplary measures for the welfare of teaching and non-teaching staff
- Sikhsha Ratna Samman awards introduced for outstanding teachers from HEIs, given on Teachers’ Day
- Retirement age of teachers of universities and colleges increased from 60 to 62 years Government-approved part time teachers (PTT), contractual whole time teachers (CWTT) and casual non-teaching staff brought under Swasthya Sathi Scheme
- Leave travel concession (LTC) granted to university and college teachers
- University and college teachers brought under West Bengal Health Scheme (WBHS)
- Child care leave introduced for female university and college teachers
- Paternity leave introduced for male university and college teachers
- Status of teacher conferred on librarians, deputy librarians and assistant librarians, and graduate laboratory instructors in Government-aided colleges, along with all attendant financial and service benefits including
- Career Advancement Scheme and leave encashment of 300 days
- College teachers allowed to act as guide for MPhil and PhD students
- Study Leave with Pay’ allowed for Government-approved PTTs and CWTTs for acquiring higher degrees such as PhD
- Transfers of teachers of State-aided colleges, including mutual transfers, introduced through West Bengal
- Colleges (Transfer of Employees) Rule, 2017
West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017
The Act contains several reform measures relating to the composition of the governing bodies of Government-aided colleges, bringing provident funds of teaching and non-teaching employees of Government-aided colleges under the Government treasury system, introducing parity and uniform conditions in the statutes of the State-funded universities with respect to administrative matters, setting up a system of transfer of teachers in Government-aided colleges, and other measures for bringing in greater synergy and efficiency in the State’s higher education system.
