The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : States to bear burden of pay revision

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Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

States to bear burden of pay revision

G. Krishnakumar

For university and college teachers

Central share will only be around eight per cent
Ministry accused of ignoring major suggestions

KOCHI: The Central share in the total salary expenditure for university and college teachers as part of the pay revision announced by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development will only be around eight per cent, putting the remaining burden on the State governments, it is learnt.

The Central assistance will be limited to 80 per cent of the additional expenditure, that too for four years and three months, starting from January 1, 2006 as per the Ministry’s decision.

Sources in the Higher Education Department said this would work out to around eight per cent of the total salary expenditure for the next 10 years. “If additional commitments on perks etc. are taken into account, the Central share will be around six to seven per cent and the State share around 93 to 94 per cent,” they said.

Thomas Joseph, Member Secretary of the State Higher Education Council, said the Ministry’s package was only a pittance. Mr. Joseph said G.K. Chadha (Chairman, UGC Pay Review Committee) had recommended that the Union government meet 100 per cent of the total additional financial commitment for the first five years and 50 per cent for the next.

Prof. Joseph, who is also president of the All India Federation of University College Teachers Organisation, said the Ministry had failed to include several major recommendations made by the Prof. Chadha committee.

“Even the minimal concessions have come at a heavy price. The three new designations proposed have been scrapped. The number of years required for promotion to Associate Professor (equivalent of Reader) has been increased from the existing nine with Ph.D., 10 with M.Phil. and 11 years without M.Phil./ Ph.D. to 12, 13 and 14 years, respectively,” he said.

While teachers could move from the post of Lecturer to Senior Lecturer and Selection Grade Lecturer as a matter of routine in the fifth University Grants Commission (UGC) package, hurdles now exist in the form of a rigorous selection process for promotion from the post of Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Sources said even a Selection Grade Lecturer/Reader would now have to go through the selection process to be promoted to the post of Associate Professor.

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