UGC drafts guidelines on institutional leadership development programmes for HEIs

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has drafted guidelines for institutional leadership development programmes for higher education institutions. The commission has invited suggestions from students, colleges, and others by November 21.

The commission has formed the guidelines for effective decision-making and exhibiting leadership skills and for the faculty members to gain training and enhance one’s capacity. These guidelines will further serve as a guiding compass for institutions aspiring to empower their faculty members to adeptly assume leadership responsibilities.

As per the UGC guidelines, the HEIs must prepare the faculty for leadership positions as well as prepare the leadership roles to work together to ensure the fulfillment of the five pillars including affordability, accessibility, quality, equity, and accountability.

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Leadership development

The commission lists down the characteristic requirements of leadership development for institutional leadership roles as follows:

• Equip faculty members with diversified skill sets such as teachers, researchers, mentors, coaches and excellent administrators to create holistic institutions.
• Develop entrepreneurial skills to respond to the Volatile Uncertain Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA)/Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) world, take risks and drive performance excellence to make their institution ‘Future Ready’.
• Cultivate a visionary mindset to gain long-term and sustainable development of the institute by creating robust strategic objectives for self and the entire workforce.
• Learn contemporary technology and trends to enable the institute to make hybrid and digitalized spaces for learning and research.
• Share the best practices available nationally and internationally to benchmark themselves and create an implementation plan for their respective institution.
• Hone their administrative skills to manage and set up world-class, futuristic systems and processes for the institute.
• Be prepared to deliver on interventions necessitated to prepare a generation of student citizens with a new mindset and not just skill sets that could be socially useful as well as financially rewarding.
• Be active contributors to the goal of nation-building, and inspire the same spirit among the students.