UGC pay panel ensures hefty pay hike for teachers

NI Wire

New Delhi

Mon, 15 Sep 2008: 

It’s time for teachers to take a deep breath and be delighted, who were annoyed over the UGC pay panel for not submitting its report on time that was scheduled for September 06, as the University Grant Commission has proposed an unprecedented pay hike for university and college teachers.

The UGC pay pal that has been set up under the chairmanship of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of South Asian University G.

K. Chadha has promised Sunday to propose a hefty hike in teachers’ salary as against other government officials that has been recommended under the Sixth Pay Commission.

The UGC pay panel recommendation, if approved by the Centre, would bring lots of exceptional gifts for the university and college teachers and assisting staff including librarians and lab assistants.

As per reports came from UGC pay panel sources, it is going to propose 30% hikes in teachers’ salary with an uniform retirement age of 65, flexibility to accommodate talented and exceptional record-holding teachers, special grant for working in remote and inaccessible areas, annual appraisal of teachers, more flexible growth opportunities and better research and accommodation facilities.

Chadha, while making the announcement said, “We will ask all states to invoke a uniform policy on the age of retirement and re-employment of teachers. The uniformity is essential to rid India’s higher education sector of inter-regional disparities.”

The UGC pay panel is going to ask bigger percentage of salary hike for all higher educational institute teachers and also hike the age of retirement to 65-years for Central University teachers and a range of 55 to 70 years for other state university teachers, as per state acceptance.

For the outstanding record holding and remarkable performing teachers, whose performance would have been prepared from the feedback of students, would be granted flexibility in terms of retirement age, extraordinary incentives, better accommodation and research facilities.

“We will focus at the entry level, on those just completing their academics and contemplating a life of teaching. We want to lure them into the profession,” added Chadha for retaining the incredible teachers, while on the other hand, there would a provision of penalty for non-performing teachers too.

Commenting upon this innovative idea, Chadha said, “Idea was not only to make teaching more lucrative but also to bring about changes so that a talented teacher did not stagnate and non-performers did not get away.”

The higher educational institutes including premium engineering and management institutes are facing staff crunch and this new proposal of UGC pay panel is an effort to stop their exodus to other profession.

For the states, UGC pay panel has suggested a “carrot-and-stick” policy which refers that states universities will get 80% of financial aid from Centre only when it accepts all the recommendations of UGC Pay panel in its exact form.

“The central assistance should continue, but only for those states willing to adopt all recommendations accepted by the Centre,” Chadha said.

UGC pay panel is likely to submit its report soon as Chadha said, ‘It has been prepared and the work of writing would begin from next week’.

After its approval, it will be effective from January 1, 2006, the same day from which the other central officials’ pay has been revised.