The announcement made by minister of state in the ministry of human resource development D Purandareshwari in the Lok Sabha on December 16 regarding revision of pay scales of teachers in universities and colleges has failed to please the teaching community.
The All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) has termed the announcement as a far cry from the recommendations of the UGC pay review committee headed by Prof G K Chadha.
“It is totally at variance with the resolution on the pay revision adopted by the national executive council of AIFUCTO and submitted to the Chadha Committee on April 15. It has also failed to accommodate most of the post-Chadda charter of demands highlighted through the movement resolution adopted at the National Conference of AIFUCTO held at Bangalore. In the result, the status and promotional prospects of teachers have been substantially downgraded and financial benefits considerably reduced vis-a-vis Chadda Committee recommendations. The prospects of uniform and simultaneous implementation of the package through out the country have suffered even more” said AIFUCTO zonal secretary Lingaraj Angadi.
AIFUCTO had enunciated six principles for the formulation of the proposals for the VI UGC pay review of university and college teachers in its submission made to the Chadha Committee which included parity of college and university teachers with at least group ‘A’ officers, incentive for contribution to teaching and extension on par with research, resolving the anomalies in the V Pay revision, implementation of new pay package with effect from January 1, 2006, 100 per cent Central assistance for the implementation of the revised pay package and mandatory, uniform and simultaneous implementation of the new package.
Though Chadha Committee had not fully accommodated the wish list of AIFUCTO, it had made an attempt for substantial compliance with the demands raised by AIFUCTO.
“The MHRD package has only taken into account three of AIFUCTO’s seventeen demands. The rest have simply been ignored. Even the minimal concessions have come at a heavy price” Angadi said.
Terming the minister’s remarks about ensuring quality education as an empty rhetoric AIFUCTO said inclusive words do not bring in inclusion. “Only inclusive actions do. It is not enough to announce a package for the entire nation. It is also necessary to take the responsibility for financing it, more so in respect of higher education, as the responsibility for maintenance of standards in higher education rests with UGC. The rhetoric of the “need to strengthen the quality of higher education in the country” will not cover up the divisive character of the MHRD package, which is a reflection of the indifference of the Central Government to the project of quality education for all” AIFUCTO said. The national executive of AIFUTO will meet at Delhi on January 4 to discuss future course of action.
