BE ANGRY-There's reason to be!

The sense of betrayal among young teachers, due to the attitude of the MHRD, UGC and the DUTA/FEDCUTA Leadership is almost complete, it is necessary to take a closer look at certain figures understand the betrayal. The Figure1 shows a comparison of career gross pay for teachers in various stages of their career according to (a) the UGC Pay Review Committee (Chaddha Committee); (b) the MHRD notification; and (c) after a proportionate fixation of minimum Pay-in-Pay Band. Though (a) is part of an official document and (b) is an official notification.

figure1

At the initial stages of the Pay Review process, a few of the principal demands of the college teachers were:

  1. A higher initial pay, i.e. higher in comparison to Grade ‘A’ Officers, as teaching is a late entry profession. Also, the fact that the IAS offers numerous perks and fast track increments, means that teaching remains an extremely unattractive profession in comparison.

  2. Prevention of stagnation in the final years of service. This should be done through an assured third promotion to Professorship.

  3. Academic Allowance.

These demands also formed the bulwark of the DUTA/FEDCUTA Charter to the UGC Pay Review Committee.

The report of the UGC Pay Review (3.10.2008) tried to address some of this issues by offering:

  1. A higher initial pay through a Grade Pay of 6600 in PB3. (Grade ‘A’ beginning at GP 5400 in PB3)

  2. Two Advance Increments for NET.

  3. Third promotion in colleges in the form of Senior Associate Professor with GP 8700 in PB4.

  4. Academic Allowance of Rs. 1500 per month for Assistant Professors and Rs. 1200 for Associate Professors.

The UGC PRC also recommended in its report several other proposals which would grant greater respectability to the teaching profession:

  1. Return to the Old Pension Scheme

  2. Research Grants of Rs. 2-5 lakhs.

  3. Better Medical Insurance.

However, the Report of the UGC PRC had certain glaring drawbacks:

  1. Proposal to introduce a system of students’ evaluation of teachers’ performance

  2. Distinction between college and university teachers in terms of promotion to Professorship

  3. Though it provided an almost uniform rise in salary throughout a teachers career (Fig.1), the percentage increase in salary from the existing scales (Fig.2) was lesser in comparison to the new entrants.

  4. Though IAS officers were to enter into PB4 after 13 years of service, a college teacher (without M.Phil/Ph.D.) would do so after 17 years. (N.B.: The propaganda that it was only the MHRD Notification which granted PB4 to college teachers is a monumental lie!)

In sum, therefore, though the UGC PRC’s proposals were attractive to those in the early stages of their career and those yet to enter the profession, they were lesser attractive for those who were in the middle or mature years of their career. For the electoral interests of the DUTA Leadership this was suicidal, for it could not hope to win elections with votes from would-be-teachers. Also, the DUTA Leadership themselves being Associate Professors were not to enthused by the efforts to attract talent to teaching.

The UGC PRC was opposed for its “negative features” by all teachers. Everyone participated in the agitation for parity with the IAS in reaching PB4. After almost three months the MHRD notification was issued on the eve of the elections to the Academic and Executive Councils. Without any delay the

DUTA Leadership went on an overdrive to celebrate the ‘historic’ achievements. They celebrated the entry into PB4 for teachers after 12/13/14 years of service, i.e. a reduction of three years from the UGC PRC Report.

But the celebration glossed over:

  1. the reduced Minimum Pay-in-Pay Band for Assistant Professors due to arbitrary fixation of Academic Grade Pay (AGP)

  2. the pushing back of promotion to Associate Professorship by 3 years, from 9/10/11 years to 12/13/14 years.

  3. No increments for NET.

  4. No Academic Allowance

  5. No Research Grant

  6. Continuance of New Pension Scheme

  7. a chimera of “Professorship” in colleges where a quota system would be followed.

The resulting document shows that the table were now turned overwhelmingly against Assistant Professors who were saddled with a far lesser percentage hike in their salaries in comparison to Associate Professors (Fig.2). Also, we can see a stark difference in scales at the 12th/13th/14th year of service. It seems after that stage teachers enter a different profession altogether!

figue2

In effect the MHRD Proposals lead to a reduction in salary of over Rs. 40 lakhs against what was proposed by the UGC-PRC. (See Loss Calculator and Mathematics of Betrayal)

A few illustrations:


Old Scales

UGC PRC

MHRD Notification

Gross Pay After 8 years

26452

56873

47511

Basic Pay After 15 years

21150

44400

47800

Basic Pay After 24 years

26820

59300

64800

A comparison of Basic Pay in various stages of career over the last several Pay Reviews shows how skewed the current proposals are:

Designation

4th Pay Review

5th Pay Review

6th Pay Review (MHRD Notification)

Lecturer/ Assistant Professor

2200

8000

21600

Lecturer (Senior)/ Assistant Professor

3000

10000

25600

Lecturer Selection Grade/ Associate Professor (after 12/13/14 years)

4200

13680

46400

So much for getting PB4 after 12/13/14 years of service instead of 15/16/17 years. Many younger teachers may never see that date as by the time we reach there it would be time for the 7th Pay Commission.

How could the DUTA/FEDCUTA Leadership agree to such a proposal? What were their compulsions?

Why should our students choose teaching as a profession?

Why should we not quit teaching if we find better opportunities?

Comments

Hangsing said…
I am amazed at how selfish our association leaders can be when it comes to monetary benefits. Before readers where assured of PB-4 this article would have drawn so much of comments. Now nobody bothered anymore. FEDCUTA and other Associations invited us to make so much noise for better salary but now that Readers are in PB-4 those interest in PBC have waned. Was all those protest meant only for creation of Professorship in colleges and placement of Readers in PB-4. Are we happy that PB-4 to Readers came at the cost of Lecturers' career advancement and the prospect of Professors getting salaries equivalent to that of Vice Chancellors.

We were supposedly protesting to protect the honour of teachers. Lecturers and Professors were also part of those protest, some of them were leaders of various institutional associations and have made significant contribution to the success of those protests. If PB-4 for Readers and Professorship for Selection Grade Lecturers of colleges were all we have protested for, we are right in feeling cheated and betrayed.

Now that Professorship is allowed for Selection Grades of colleges and Readers are in PB-4, leaders of our associations should resign and allow others to continue the fight for the honour of teachers.

I am truly ashame that such attitude comes from teachers.
PCMA/MHRD/AS/2/28/199 20/03/2009

To

Sh. Arjun Singh,
Minister for Human Resources Development
Government of India,
New Delhi.

Reference: MHRD Notification on pay scales of University and college teachers.

Subject: Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) in service at Present- UGC draft notification not in concurrence with MHRD notification.

Sir,
It is humbly submitted before you the agony of the teachers working as Readers/Lecturers (Selection Grade) in service at Present (i.e. on 31-12-2008 the date of MHRD Notification) as follows:
1. In the MHRD Notification regarding the scheme of pay of teachers and equivalent cadres in universities and colleges, No. 1-32/2006-U.II/U.I (i) dated 31-12-2008, page 3 Clause 2 (a) xi it is said that Readers/Lecturers (Selection Grade) in service at present shall continue to be designated as Lecturer (Selection Grade) or Readers, as the case may be, until they are placed in the pay Band of Rs.37400-67000 and re-designated as Associate Professor in the manner described in sub clause ( x ) i.e. for incumbent readers and Lecturer (Selection Grade) who have not completed 3 years in the pay scale of Rs. 12000-18300.
2. In the above notification no condition is imposed by the MHRD on the Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) who even acquire the grade of 12000-18300 after 01-01-2006 and suggest the same formula for these Readers/ lecturer (Selection Grade) to become Associate Professor as is applicable for the Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) who got the scale of 12000-18300 before 01-01-2006 and who have not completed 3 years in the present scale (Page 2 Clause 2 (a) point x and xi)
. But the University Grants commission in negation of the above notification imposed certain conditions on all incumbent Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) and Readers/Lecturer (selection Grade) in service at present which relates to Academic performance indicators (API) and Weight age points (WP) required to develop performance appraisal scoring system (PASS) .

4. On the Protest of stake-holders UGC later withdraw the conditions on all the incumbent Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) through a clarification on the UGC website. But the point regarding the Readers/Lecturers (Selection Grade) in service at present has not been clarified. It is the demand of the teachers that teachers who have been awarded the designation of Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) even after 01-01-2006 and are going to complete three years in service in the pay scale of 12000-18300 in 2008 or 2009 should also be re-designated as Associate professor as and when they complete the required three years of Service and should not be imposed any condition. This is because MHRD Notification Clause 2 (a) (xi) also suggests the same formula as it is for Incumbent Readers/ Lecturer (Selection Grade) who has not completed three years of Service in the pay scale of 12000-18300 on 01-01-2006. The Clause 2 (a) (xi) is reproduced here for quick reference:
" Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) in service at present shall continue to be designated as Lecturer (Selection Grade) or Readers, as the case may be, until they are placed in the pay Band of Rs. 37400-67000 and re-designated as Associate Professor in the manner described in (x) above"

The above clause do not put any condition on the Readers/Lecturers (Selection Grade) working presently and suggest the same manner as suggested for the teachers who got the grade of 12000-18300 before the 01-01-2006.

• It is therefore requested to you that kindly clarify this point also and adopt the same formula for promoting the Reader/Lecturer (Selected Grade) in service at present as it is applicable for the incumbent Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) who have not completed three years of service in the pay scale of 12000-18300 as given in the clause 2 (a) (x) and as suggested in the Clause 2 (a) (xi) in the page 3 of the MHRD Notification.











• If this is not clarified then a teachers who has got the Reader/Lecturer (Selection Grade) say in Feb 2006 will be at disadvantageous position and just for getting the grade two months late he/she has to face lot of hardships and secondly he/she will not have the ample time to cover the conditions put in by the UGC. The conditions put in by the UGC are also not in concurrence of the MHRD notification which is supreme document.
• We also request you to get the exemption from conditions for all Readers/Lecturer (Selection Grade) who has been placed in the grade of 12000-18300 till the date of notification of MHRD i.e. 31-12-2008.




I hope you will fight our case and instruct the University Grants Commission not to exceed its mandate so that the true spirit of MHRD Notification should not be defeated.





(Prof. Ashwani Bhalla)
Executive Vice President
Punjab Commerce and Management Association
Unknown said…
This PRC and the so called association leaders are betraying the new comers.
Only calculate the difference of salary for a person who is working a little more than a new comer. We are shocked that the higher qualification does not get any rewards.
When the PRC was set it clearly stated that "It will do such things that the new comers will be encouraged to come to this profession but I am afraid after such a joke all young talents rather would prefer to go some where else than coming to this field.
I feel even school teaching would be a better idea than college jobs.

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