“There is no unemployment but there is only unemployablity” - this is the observation of many multinational companies who go out for large scale on and off campus recruitment of engineering graduates. Our engineering graduates do not have required technical and life skills for employability. The aptitude & attitude test they conduct in the process of placement amply reveals this. Out of roughly six lakh engineering graduates that are coming out of the portals of engineering colleges every year in our country, nearly 15 to 20 percent are found suitable for campus placement. The remaining 80 to 85 percent are making extra efforts to equip themselves with those technical & soft skills to mould themselves industry ready to get into entry level jobs of MNCs. These students are pursuing their professional courses with a lot of hopes for bright future occupying suitable jobs carrying high packages. The parents are investing huge amounts for the engineering study of their wards. The governments both state and central are also spending crores of rupees by way of fee reimbursement and scholarships. All these hopes are dashed to ground.

A portion of the blame for the unsuitability of majority of the students for placement should be taken by the faculty for their poor performance in the classroom and outside. There is serious shortage of faculty in engineering colleges. Most of them have not taken up the job of teaching out of interest. It is a matter of chance but not choice. The brilliant graduates/post graduates are opting for green pastures in IT sector. Even the students of core branches like civil, mechanical, electrical, prefer IT jobs. To obviate this crucial problem, some colleges are introducing satellite telecast e-learning classes investing huge amounts by installing very costly electronic gadgets. Even the faculty that are present are not working to the brim, as there is no accountability for their performance. The jobs of all cadres in other organizations have fixed targets and deadlines. Fulfillment of these targets is a measuring rod for employee’s prowess and potentiality. Unfortunately, there are no perceptible parameters to adjudge the teacher. The only objective method is the examination results, the pass and fail percentage of the students in the subjects taught by the teacher. But this is not completely an objective method as there are several vitiating factors on the student’s performance in the examinations. There is no passion for teaching among some of the teachers, nor any interest to develop such a passion. They enter the profession as a stopgap. Having obtained M.Tech Degree from some private engineering colleges by resorting to dubious methods with regard to class attendance, practical classes, projects, and later becoming a teacher in the engineering college clearly amplifies their value system. The hurried process of selecting a teacher in walk-in-interviews, with no chance of knowing the subject and presentation skills of the candidates, is making matters worse. There is no pre-entry teacher training for those who are joining as teachers. A raw BE/B.Tech graduate who got first class marks is selected and sent to the class. In these days of unfair practices of examination evaluation, securing first class mark is almost certain and normal. The age gap between the teacher and taught in these colleges is greatly affecting the standards of discipline in the class and college. This is also hampering the teaching learning process in the colleges. It is felt that the students are not getting best teaching of the subjects. Some of the teachers, to cover up their deficiencies and in some cases to please the money making authorities, are resorting to all kinds of unfair practices in awarding marks in internals, lab test etc. There is big gap in the marks percentage secured by the candidate between internal test and university semester examination. The university concerned should take appropriate steps to check this practice. The professional touch and ambience of an engineering college is totally missing due to give and take, win-win situations prevalent on the campus. In the long run, due to these evil practices and bad performances of teachers, it is the student who is becoming the victim and comes out of the college with 60+ marks percentage but hollow in the very basics of the subject studied. And no recruiter is ready to accept such ill-equipped products. The quality of assignment given, the level of internal test papers, the techniques adopted in the valuation of papers, the competition among teachers to be neo friendly with students by awarding marks and attendance, the pressure/interventions, direct or indirect, exercised by some college authorities in the conduct of examinations amply speak of the quality of education imparted in these institutions. The powers that be should seriously ponder over this and stringent measures may be contemplated. A student is made a scapegoat in this given situation.

The main three qualifications of an ideal
teacher, academic distinction, teaching ability and leadership in student activities are missing in the case of many teachers. To save the generations of students, to make them useful citizens and to maintain the nobility of teaching profession, necessary corrective measures are to be taken up by introducing performance appraisals to the teachers in engineering colleges to sensitize them with what they are and what further expectation the students have from them. Even in such dark realities, there are some good colleges and universities who are very sincere in improving the academic standards in the classroom to shape the student’s capabilities completely on correct lines. To weed out some bad practices and to inculcate a spirit of responsibility, and commitment to the teaching profession among the teachers, scientifically designed teacher evaluation schemes are being launched in many colleges. These performance appraisal systems are also included by NBA during the process of accreditation. These should be thought of not only at the time of accreditation but also as a regular and continuous process to provide an opportunity to teachers to know their strengths, weaknesses and to appraise themselves on their own, to get the feedback of the students on the subjects taught by them, to have appraisal of his HOD/Principal about his performance,  the appraisal system constitutes the following :

1. Self appraisal: It touches the teaching learning process, quality of tests and assignments, participation in professional body activities, staff and student development programs, academic achievements during that year, presentation and publication of papers in the national and international journals, participation of organization in co/extra-curricular activities, help extended to college administration, recognition,  rewards received, research and consultation activity, interpersonal skills, mentor activity, loyalty and respect to the college etc. Here the teacher concerned will assess himself on all the points mentioned as per the well designed format.

2. Students’ feedback: The students are asked to give their honest and objective assessment of the teachers on certain factors. This helps teacher to understand student’s perception on him and in what areas he made a mark and in what factors he is yet to improve and what are the expectations of his students. This should not be construed as vindictive tool. All 60 students in a class will not be prejudiced. An average of the feedback points will definitely give an honest appraisal of the teacher. The factors in this feedback touch up on coverage of syllabus, subject depth and presentation, effective use of black board, OHP, LCD, models, maps, charts etc. and discipline in the class, punctuality, enthusiasm in teaching, eye contact, voice modulation, mannerisms, audibility, interaction ability, quality of internal tests, impartiality in awarding marks, discussion on previous question papers so on and so forth. The teacher is rated on these factors either by numerical number like 4,3,2,1, or by ticking poor or average or good or excellent.  For every factor a threshold point will be fixed and average of the whole class on each factor will be obtained to find out whether the teacher got plus or minus grade of the total threshold points.

This tool is to be administered with proper care. Maximum number of students will be there in the class while this tool is executed. Opinion differs on whether irregular students with least percentage of attendance will be given opportunity to participate in this exercise or only those students having 75% + attendance should participate. The methodology of communicating this feedback result to the teacher should be thought well as it is a very sensitive issue. It should be done in such a way that the teacher concerned should not be hurt. The people who administer and evaluate the process are supposed to be neutral and a bit of confidentiality is also to be maintained.

3. HOD/Principal appraisal: The HOD appraisal and students’ feedback should be followed by HOD/Principal appraisal on certain agreed factors.

4. Examination Results: The examination results of the paper taught by the teacher will also help the authorities and students to have an insight and estimate of the teacher.

A synergy of these four systems should be discussed with the teacher one to one and leave the expectation of the student to his best judgment. He should be extended all possible help to make improvement in his weak areas by providing expert guidance by senior teachers for technical skills and organize courses on communication skills for better presentation so that in a given time, he definitely shapes himself as a good teacher to enthuse and inspire his students. The college authorities should not use these tools to victimize the teacher in sanctioning annual increments, probation declaration, promotion etc. The authorities shall understand that they merely provided an introspection facility to the teacher with possible avenues for growth. There may be initial resistance by some teachers for all this but it will fade away in due course of time as the teacher adapts himself to the system which is helping him in many ways for his professional growth with self esteem and confidence. The bench marks fixed in the self appraisal will make him realize his road map. All this administered properly will help the teacher get applause and accolade.