BANGALORE July 29: The increased retirement ages and payscales of university and college teachers by University Grants commission has been, surprisingly, strongly condemned by most of the teaching community here. Bangalore University English Professor Nagari Babaiah called it ``ridiculous''.The increase, he felt, would have been reasonable in ideal circumstances, if people, especially teachers had been conscious of their duty to society and to the field of education. After 60, a teacher did not really need to be paid any salary, for his or her life was already settled. Besides, the move would worsen unemployment in the country. ``The Goverment is fattening one section and whipping the other,'' he observed.His views were shared by his colleague and Dean of the Faculty of sciences, B S Sheshadri who felt the Government should have reduced the retirement age instead of increasing it. It would only deprive youngsters of jobs, he said. ``The larger sections of so-called Professors do not do any work orresearch in the University. They snub youngsters who are academically active. This move will unnecessarily encourage such people and worsen the suffering of young researchers,'' he said.Educationist K S Krishna Iyer agreed. He couldn't decide whether the move was a gift by the Government to the employees or a blow to the youth of the country. ``Aging teachers cannot cope with the changing trends in education and teaching. They need to be trained to if justice is to be done to their students.'' In countries with advanced educational systems like America, such a move would have been welcome, he felt.
