Govt raises retirement age of teachers

Interestingly, most of the enhanced budget allocation for the HRD ministry the allocation this year was raised by almost 50 per cent over the previous year covered the costs of the earlier pay packet to university and college teachers.

The salient features of the latest package include raising the retirement age of teachers from 60 to 62 years, creation of professors8217; posts in UGC-recognised autonomous colleges and a supertime scale for professors of eminence.

TheHRD ministry announcement said that the teachers would draw their arrears with effect from January one, 1996, in one consolidated installment. Under the new pay scales, registrars, librarians and directors of physical education of universities would be equated with professors in terms of pay scales.

Similarly, deputy registrars, deputy librarians and deputy directors of physical education of universities would be equated with readers. In the same way, assistant registrars, assistant librarians and assistant directors of physical education would be equated with lecturers.

Substantial incentives would be given to teachers with PhD by way of two advance increments as and when they acquire the degree. Apart from this, it has been decided to introduce a supertime scale of Rs 22,000-24,500 for professors of eminence. The package also provides for dearness allowance, house rent allowance and city compensatory allowance as applicable to Central Government employees.

The Centre will provide financial assistanceto the state governments which will opt for these revised pay scales to the extent of 80 per cent of the additional expenditure involved in the implementation of the revision for a period of five years. The minimum tenure of service for moving to the grade of Lecturer senior scale would be four years for those with PhD and five years for those with M Phil. For others it will take six years as compared to existing eight years. A scheme would be drawn to reward and recognise meritorious teachers who may not have M Phil or PhD but have made outstanding contributions in teaching and research.

The package announced three months ago by the government was not accepted by the teachers who went on strike and later moved the Delhi HC seeking pay scales recommended by the UGC.