Instead of holding protests, taking casual leave or going on a strike again, the staff has decided to draw inspiration from the movie Munnabhai MBBS and send a mail to the HRD ministry every day, outlining the work it does, including research, teaching and industry work. Occasional videos will also be part of this exercise.
“We have decided not to accept the latest amendments. We are asking for small things which are minimum for an education institution. We will write again to the HRD ministy to reiterate our needs,” said M Thenmozhi, president, IIT-M Faculty Association. She added that once other institutes held their internal discussions, a joint meeting comprising IITs, IIMs and other institutes would be held over the next few days to decide the course of action.
“We have to establish the fact that the faculty has exemplary capabilities,” said B K Chakravarthy, professor at IIT-Bombay, adding that there is a communication gap between the institutes and the HRD ministry which needs to be bridged to reach a consensus. “We are, in all of our intellectual capabilities, ahead of most scientists in the country. And the HRD ministry does not realise that the faculty at these institututions does not just teach, but also does work on a variety of platforms, including research and other avenues,” said Chakravarthy.
Chakravarthy reiterates that the fight is not about money, but about losing integrity by being at par with the faculty of local universities under the University Grants Commission (UGC).
“It was a real shock to us when our salaries were expected to be as low as that of faculty from local colleges, when we are no less than any professor teaching in the universities of US. There are many like me who have left leading companies to work as a faculty at IIT because of the value attached to the institute,”he says.
Chakravarthy added that the IITs also do a lot of research work for the government without charging money. The demand is not money here, but prestige, which the hit rock bottom with the HRD’s directive.
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have expressed similar sentiments but are yet to decide on a course of action.
“The only issue that has been sorted has been of the assistant professors who will be allowed a pay increase after they complete three years of service. Other than that, the ministry has done nothing about the requirements raised by IIM-A, IIM-Calcutta and other IIMs. We are yet to take a view on what to do about it now,” said IIM Ahmedabad, Director Samir Barua.
Meanwhile, the HRD ministry has issued a directive asking all the IITs, central universities and IIMs to generate additional revenue by increasing fees. Central universities and institutes have been asked to revise the fee structure, reduce costs related to infrastructure, seminars, travel and even purchase of chemicals for labs and books for the library, advertising and publicity, to name a few.
The ministry’s directive also asks universities to make a 10 per cent cut in plan expenditure in current financial year. The remaining portion of non-plan expenditure excluding salary and pension will be subjected to a mandatory 5 per cent cut.
Source : Business Standard.
3 comments :
To make up for the financial burden because of 'further' incease in the salaries of the senior babus it was obvious that there should be a cut in the salaries of IIT/ IIM Professors. After all the country is passing through a tough time - drought, high prices reccession etc. So the professors should pay for the 'second increase' in the salaries of babus of the Govt of India. Have the politicians closed their eyes? or they are also vying for increase in thier emoluments.
It is a welcome step that the entry level salary of an Asst prof has now been raised to Rs 37000+AGP 8000 in PB4. But the new pay regim does not seem to be caring about the faculty who are already serving for last so many years. Now the salry of a new entrant Asst Prof and the one with 17 years of service has become same!!
Similarly for Associate Prof and Professors also the seniority or length in service does not seem to be reflecting in their saalaries. In fact the 'bunching' of thier salary should now start over and above the 'minimum basic pay' offered to a fresh entrant. The Govt should not only 'attract' the new faculty but also try to 'retain' the already serving faculty. That is also equally important. IIT teachers Association and their Federation should also get this grievance addressed with MHRD. Even the UGC Fitment table fix more salary than the Table S-26 gives for same basic pay. Govt of India's fitment table also have a lot of anamolies. One Example is :
(a) For the old scale of 14300-18300, the new salary for basic pay of 19100 is now 44700.(Table S-24).
(b) For the old scale of 15100 -
18300 the new salary for same basic pay of 19100 is 46500 (Table S-25)
(c) Applicable to IIT teachers - For the old pay scale 16400-20000 (Please note the minimum and maximum are both higher than (a) and (b) above ) for the same basic pay of 19100 it is the 'less' than both above Rs 43390 only ( Table S-25).
It is surprising that the employees already working in a senior scale have been given fitment of lower pay - No reason can be convincing for this mesh made by babus.
September 4, 2009 2:37 PM
Dear Kapil Sibal Ji,
You WILL walk a mile for IITs only ... ??????
WHY CANT YOU WALK A FEW STEPS----- ONLY A FEW STEPS.... FOR NITs.... .... IN PARTICULAR YOUNG FACULTY MEMBERS..... ARE WE NOT YOUR KIDS.....
NIT faculty members were made to wait for almost an year more than UGC. Finally MHRD discovered that we are same like UGC and has given the same UGC scales.....
Various NITs made a number of memorandums.(In a dignified manner as reported by IIM)
But, not even a single time their concerns were heard, in the TWO modifications MHRD has given dated 16th and 22nd.
The pay commission was framed to attract young faculty members with PhD and to retain existing faculty.
As far as NITs are converned MHRD has done everything possible to retain existing senior faculty members.
For young faculty members, MHRD said seven non compoundable advance increment will be given for a person with PhD.
Unfortunately, we don,t know, whether our English is bad or MHRDs, the existing faculty members with PhDs are given a mere TWO increments only. The argument is that a person who is going to be recruited after this GO and who joins with a PhD only will be given 7 increments. Even if a person submits his thesis and gets his PhD the next day of joining NIT, he will be eligible for only TWO increments.
Young faculty members with PhD represented MHRD through various memorandums to keep them at 7000 AGP AT LEAST.
BUT NOTHING HAPPENED FOR THIS DIGNIFIED(AS REPORTED BY IIM)PETITIONS TILL DATE. INSTEAD WE ARE PUNISHED STILL MORE BY GIVING JUST TWO INCREMENTS.
OKAY, If we think that We will leave this institution and join another as a fresher to get atleast the SEVEN increments promised for a fresher, UGC has recently come up with another regulation saying, Discretionary award of advance increments can be given only to Asso Profs and Professors and not to a person joining fresh AS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR(6.4.19 IN REGULATION 2009).
WHY..... What wrong thing we made....Spending 5 to 10 years in various industries and institutions before joining NIT is a fault...OR Did a bit of research to get a PhD in service is a fault... WHAT WRONG THING WE MADE....
SO, U WONT GIVE US PROPER SALARY... U wont allow us to join ANOTHER INSTITUTION also peacefully....(B,COS WE WILL LOSE OUR SERVICE AND WE MAY NOT GET ADVANCE INCREMENTS OTHER THAN FOR PHD......) So, MHRD should tell us what service we should do in our existing institutes...
THOSE WHO JOINED NIT AFTER SUBMITTING THEIR THESIS AND GOT THEIR PhD IN SERVICE IN A MONTH OR TWO AFTER JOINING NIT DONT KNOW
WHETHER WE ARE A FRESH FACULTY
OR
AN EXISTING FACULTY......
WE ARE NOT PROVIDED EITHER THE BENEFITS SHOWN TO EXISTING FACULTY(SENIORS)
NOR
THE BENEFITS GIVEN TO FRESH FACULTY.....
AND WE CANT LEAVE FOR ANOTHER INSTITUTION ALSO(for the reason mentioned above)
ONLY GOD CAN SAVE US ...........
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