Bringing retirement age to 58: College teachers launch agitation against SGPC

What are the violations the government made and how?

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Vinay Sofat, president of PCCTU, said that on September 5 last year, the Punjab government had decided to implement the UGC 7th Pay Commission scales for all the university and college teachers which was pending for the last six years (since 2016-17). A Cabinet meeting was held in this regard on September 9 following which a notification was issued on September 28, 2022.

“In the notification, which was issued in a hurried manner, the Punjab government tampered with service rules by reducing the retirement age of teachers of government-aided private colleges from 60 to 58 years. The Punjab government has not only violated the 44-year-old Grant-in-aid Act, 1979, but also acted against Punjab Privately Managed Affiliated and Punjab Government Aided Colleges, Pensionary Benefits Scheme, 1996 (Repeal) Act, 2012, under which a written statement was filed by special secretary of Department of Higher Education (Punjab) in which it was mentioned that the retirement age of teachers of aided colleges was 60 years instead of 58 years under the signatures of then Punjab minister of higher education Sikander Singh Maluka on December 18, 2012,” Sofat added.

What does the new notification say?

Now, under the notification of Punjab government it is mentioned in clause 11 (C) and clause 11 (E) that the service condition of the teachers in aided colleges of Punjab will remain same as previously mentioned in the rules. But clause 13 (2) of this notification says that the retirement age of aided college teachers will be on the lines of Punjab government employee. “Now here is the main issue because the retirement age of Punjab government employees is 58 years and as per this clause teachers’ retirement age automatically becomes 58 and we have been requesting the government to rectify it for the past several months but to no avail,” he said.

Sofat said that PCCTU, all organisations of the teaching community and other stakeholders will launch agitation against this retirement age issue.

The PCCTU leadership will meet Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, to get the SGPC Tuglaki circular nullified. PCCTU will also meet Punjab CM Bhagwant Maan, education & finance ministers of Punjab to get the anomalies rectified in the notification of UGC 7th Pay Commission of Punjab government, Sofat said.