Good News....Cabinet clears teachers’ pay hike.

The proposal for a 70 per cent salary hike for college educators has finally got the Cabinet go-ahead, said sources on Monday. The Cabinet clearance for the recommendations of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) Pay Review Committee for teachers, led by Professor G K Chadha, will benefit more than five lakh teachers in over 400 universities and more than 6,000 colleges. Incidentally, the clearance came on a day when around 8,000 teachers in Delhi University started an indefinite strike to demand an increase in their pay scales.

In addition to a 70 per cent hike in pay, the UGC panel has recommended additional allowances and new positions to academics in the higher education sector. It has also suggested that the age of retirement be raised to 65 years, extendable up to 70 years. Other perks recommended by the UGC include monetary and non- monetary incentives to ensure teachers do not face stagnation and a ‘revolutionary recruitment policy’ to attract youngsters to teaching.

Women teachers also stand to benefit in a big way, with a recommendation to grant a special two-three year sabbatical to them over and above an extended maternity leave to help them rear their children.

The UGC committee also advocated the introduction of new positions, like senior associate professor, senior professor and professor of eminence.

According to the recommendations, at the entry level, a faculty member will join as an assistant professor, not as a lecturer as earlier. While a lecturer’s pay scale is currently between Rs 8,000 to Rs 13,500, it will now lie between Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100 for assistant professors, assistant professors (senior scale) and assistant professors (senior grade). Similarly, the committee has recommended a new pay band of Rs 37,400 to Rs 67,000 for professors against the existing scale of Rs 16,400 to Rs 22,400. A vice-chancellor will get a fixed amount of Rs 80,000 per month against the present package of Rs 25,000.

At college level, a principal will be entitled for the package of a professor as against the current package of Rs 12,000 to Rs 22,400, he said.

Apart from the existing allowances, the committee has suggested the introduction of an academic allowance of Rs 1,500 per month, as well as allowances towards house rent, transport, special duty, travel and medical expenses. Teachers with good performance records can get an annual increment of up to four per cent.

 The panel has also recommended amendments to the teacher-assessment process. Not only is it suggested that students evaluate their teachers - besides self-assessment and institutional assessment - but that educators will also be judged on the number of research papers they publish.

The UGC panel report, even though it was submitted to the ministry in October this year, could not be taken to the Cabinet earlier because Assembly elections had been announced in five states just then — the model code of conduct having come into effect, the keenly awaited salary hike for teachers had to be put off for a while.