HRD to offer handsome perks to woo US scholars

NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry is fine-tuning an attractive package for more than 1000 scholars from United States who will come to India for short-term teaching under the Global Initiative of Academic Network ( GIAN).

Sources said the US wasn't able to come to an agreement on GIAN since it does not have a central body that could carry out the work of sending faculty to Indian institutions. The US also said its universities are totally autonomous. However, GIAN has already been endorsed by the US government, a point made in the Indo-US joint statement in September. HRD's feedback is that US scholars who have taught in India have spoken highly of their experience and praised the quality of students.

In order to make it attractive for visiting scholars, HRD ministry has expanded the scope of GIAN from what was conceived earlier. Scholars will come across disciplines and not be confined to science and technology. Roughly Rs 8 lakh per teacher will be spent including accommodation and remuneration. A source said, "This figure is open to review." Teachers will be in India for a semester.

HRD is also ensuring that GIAN does not turn into a club of self-serving academics who end up inviting friends and relatives from US. "A proper system of checks and balances will be introduced," a source said, adding there could be a nodal agency in India - likely to be University Grants Commission--which will process the requests of institutions for particular faculty. The scheme will not be open for private institutions.

One of the earliest proposals of the new government, HRD is putting a lot of emphasis on GIAN. IITs/IIMs and many central universities have been involved with the scheme. "If everything goes well the scope of GIAN will be expanded even further," one source said.