| UT admin prefers old faculty over engaging young talent | | Funds' paucity for contractual lecturers, ready to shell-out crores for retiring faculties | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 12: The Union Territory administration has been depriving the contractual lecturers of their due right of “Equal Work Equal Pay”, citing paucity of funds but surprisingly it is showing its willingness to shell out over Rs 15 crores annually for those faculty members, who are about to retire.
As per a communiqué sent by Advisor to Lieutenant Governor vide number PS/Adv(S) 2020/82 dated 29/7/2020, to Commissioner/Secretary to Government Higher Education Department and a reference to another communiqué written vide OM No. PS/Adv(S) 2020/620 dated 27/01/2020 has been given.
The communiqué mentioned about some faculty members working in Government Degree Colleges, who had applied for NOC to apply for vacancies advertised by the universities etc. “As a matter of policy such NOC may be issued to give opportunities to the talented and meritorious candidates, who wish to compete for the University level posts”, it reads.
Giving such a background, the communiqué reached the basic point over the demand for increasing the retirement age of college teachers from 60 to 62 years in view of massive shortage of faculty in the degree colleges. “A proposal to bring retirement age to 62 years after checking the practices of UTs may be submitted by the department”, it reads.
However, the contractual lecturers working in the Colleges have rebuffed the claims made in the communiqué. “Instead of scarcity of staff, there is excess staff in the colleges of capital cities, whereas the peripheral colleges face scarcity due to department’s failure to rationalize the teachers”, a lecturer said, adding that in other Union territories as well as States, the principle of “Equal Work Equal Pay”, is implemented and UT of Chandigarh vide Memo no. KW4/38-2010 CI(5) dated 27/6/2019 is one of them to apply it.
“The JK UT has refused to implement “Equal Work Equal Pay” principle and paying the contractual lecturers peanuts on per-lecture basis but when it comes to retiring professors, it wants to replicate other UTs”, the contractual lecturer said, adding that the administration faced scarcity of funds, when it came to pay contractual but it was willing to shell-out over Rs. 15 Crores annually for paying the retiring faculty members. “Most of the faculty members on verge of retirement are Principals, In-charge Principals, Associate Professors, Librarians etc and most of them are not involved in teaching works but in administrative works. The average salary of these retiring faculty members is above Rs 2 lakh per month and over 50 faculty members retire every year. On an average the department would have to shell-out Rs 15 crores annually, if their retirement age is enhanced”, the contractual lecturers said.
They further said that in the salary of one retiring professor, a minimum of four regular Assistant Professors could be engaged. “A huge army of unemployed youth is waiting for some jobs but instead of advertising jobs, the department has been trying to increase the age of old faculty members, which is injustice with large number of highly qualified youth of UT”, a contractual lecturer said, adding that instead of favouring these highly rich faculty members, the administration should think about young aspirants, who have energy and enthusiasm to teach rather than involving in administrative works and in various committees.
The contractual lecturers as well as unemployed youth have appealed Lieutenant Governor to intervene in the matter and address their issues without any further delay. |
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