The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Who is a professor?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Who is a professor?

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, JUNE 15. The Academic Council of Mangalore University, in its meeting today, discussed at length who could prefix the designation, "professor," to their names.

Subbaiah Shetty, who raised the matter, said many college teachers were using the prefix, "professor," to their names in official communication. He wanted to know if they were authorised to do so. He said there were instances of teachers with just one-year experience calling themselves professors.

To this, the Vice-Chancellor said that between January 1, 1986, and January 1, 1996, teachers in universities and colleges initially enjoyed the designation of a lecturer. Later, they were promoted as readers and professors based on their service. To make a distinction between teachers in universities and colleges, the Government in 1996 re-designated teachers in colleges who were drawing salary as per the University Grants Commission's (UGC) pay scale as lecturers, senior grade lecturers, and selection grade lecturers, Dr. Hanumaiah said. However, the designation of teachers in universities such as lecturers, readers, and professors had been retained, he added.

He noted that before 1996, lecturers in colleges were drawing salary as per the State Government's pay scale. The UGC scale came into force from 1996 following which the college teachers were given an option to either continue to draw salary under the State Government's pay scale or opt for the UGC pay scale. But in colleges, some teachers continued to get their salary as per the State Government's scale. For such teachers, the Government had issued an order permitting them to call themselves as readers or professors based on their service, he said.

Since a majority of the teachers in the colleges were now under the UGC pay scale, the Government had not clarified whether its order prior to 1996 applied to college lecturers or not. According to the UGC guidelines, those who were under the UGC pay scale should prefix lecturer, senior grade lecturer, or selection grade lecturer to their name, Dr. Hanumaiah said. Those teachers who were readers and professors earlier were now senior grade lecturers or selection grade lecturers as they had come under the UGC pay scale. However, they still preferred to call themselves readers or professors as they probably did not like to call themselves senior grade lecturers or selection grade lecturers, he added.

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