In what could bring cheers to the university teachers, the UGC-Pay Review Committee on Friday recommended a whopping over 70 percent pay hike with additional allowances and new positions to academics.
The committee, headed by Prof G K Chadha, on Friday submitted its report to the UGC Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat.
As per the recommendations, at the entry level, a faculty member will join as an assistant professor, not as a lecturer as earlier, and his new pay band will be between Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100. The teacher at the entry level will be entitled for a grade pay of Rs 6,600. At present, a lecturer’s pay scale is between Rs 8,000 to Rs 13,500.
For assistant professor, assistant professor (senior scale) and assistant professor (senior grade), the pay band will between Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100 while the grade pay will vary, Chadha told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.
A teacher will be entitled for annual increment of three per cent of the basic salary with compounding effect. Certain teachers with good performance record can get four per cent annual increment.
Similarly, the committee has recommended a new band pay between Rs 37,400 to Rs 67,000 for professor against the existing scale of Rs 16,400 to Rs 22,400.
“We have recommended more that 70 per cent hike in the scale of pay for various posts. For certain posts, the proposed hike is more than 90 per cent,” Chadha said.
The hike would benefit more than five lakh teachers in over 400 universities and over 6,000 colleges in the country.
As per the recommendations, a vice chancellor will get a fixed amount of Rs 80,000 per month against the present package of Rs 25,000.
The committee has recommended introduction of new positions like senior associate professor, senior professor and professor of eminence.
Professors of eminence are expected to be experts on their subjects concerned and their package will at par with that of the vice-chancellors.
“This has been done to ensure that teachers do not languish after achieving a particular level,” Chadha said.
The committee has also suggested new nomenclatures for various teaching posts. At the entry level, a faculty member will join as assistant professor, not as a lecturer as earlier while for readers, the new designation will be associate professors.
At college level, a principal will be entitled for a package of a professor, ranging between Rs 37,400 to Rs 67,000 per month against the current package between Rs 12,000 to Rs 22,400, he said.
The recommendations will also cover librarians and director (physical education).
“This package would attract more people to join the profession of teaching and do not quit,” Chadha said.
The University Grants Commission will meet on 7th and 8th October to discuss the recommendations.
“We will forward the recommendation to the government by 9th October after conducting discussions at our level. The government will have ample time to implement it,” Thorat said.
The committee has recommended five advanced increments instead of present four to a Ph.D degree holder at the time of recruitment as assistant professor.
Apart from the existing allowances, the committee has suggested for introduction of academic allowance of Rs 1500 per month for assistant professor, assistant professor (senior scale) and assistant professor (selection grade).
Besides, the teachers will be entitled for, among others, allowances towards house rent, transport, special duty, travelling and medical expenses.
The committee suggested that the Centre should provide 100 percent assistance for the additional expenditure to be borne for implementing the recommendations for five years.
The assistance can be extended up to 50 percent of the expenditure to those states which would implement the recommendations successfully into, Chadha said.
All the recommendations should be implemented into with effect from 1st January 2006. However, the allowances excepting DA will be admissible with effect from 1st September 2008, he said.
The committee said institutions should fill the vacant posts on urgent basis and the ban on recruitment should be lifted immediately.
About contract teachers, the committee has said such teachers should be appointed when there is a dire necessity and their qualification and procedure of selection should be same as for a regular teacher.
The age of retirement should be 65 years and teachers may be reappointed on contract basis after superannuation upto the age of 70 years.
Dr Chada done injustice to the readers working in universities