Panaji: University College Teachers Protest: Failure of UGC Pay Review Committee

News From Rubiya Shaikh For Daijiworld Media Network—Panaji (CN) Panaji, Sep 24: In response to the call given by All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organizations (AIFUCTO), the University College Teachers’ Association Goa (UCTAG) is going to observe Wednesday September 24 as ‘protest day’. This is to protest the failure of the sixth UGC Pay Review Committee (PRC) or Prof Chadda Committee, to submit its recommendations to the central government on time. AIFUCTO president Prof Thomas Joseph and general secretary Prof Ashok Barman, clarified that the Chadda Committee was required to submit its report by September 6. The leadership of AIFUCTO has repeatedly voiced the sentiments of teachers that the PRC should submit its report within the prescribed time limit. The failure of the committee to submit its report even after implementation of the sixth Pay Review Committee recommendations for central government employees is a matter that deserves serious national concern. The XIth Plan perspective clearly states that inclusive development in a knowledge society is premised on making provisions for quality education for all. The project of quality education for all is closely linked up with the project of attracting and retaining talented teachers in public-funded higher education institutions. AIFUCTO leaders warned that Wednesday would only mark the beginning of their protest. They said that the teaching community will be forced to resort to more drastic actions including going on nationwide strike if the committee fails to submit its report before October 5, one month after the original due date for the submission of the report. As per the decision taken in the executive council meeting of the UCTAG held on Monday September 22, Gurunath Prabhu Khanolker, president, UCTAG, has appealed to all the teachers in colleges across the state to hold demonstrations in their respective institutions and attend classes wearing protest badges.

Comments on this article
Professor A. Vaishampayan, UGC Career Awardee, BHU, Varanasi
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Panaji: University College Teachers to Protest Failure of UGC Pay Review Committee on Sep 24

I do agree with the extremely genuine demand from the DUTA and FEDCUTA to first redress the sharp anomaly of the arbitrary UGC orders under the 5th Pay Commission to allow promotion to Central University Teachers from an unreasoned date of 27.07.1998, despite the implementation of the whole 5th pay package from 01.01.1996. This order spoiled the professional career of all those university teachers who were already eligible for promotion on or before 01.01.1996, as per UGC criteria, and faced tough screening and ion process but still got the promotion with effect from not earlier than 27.07.1998 without any rhyme and reason.
This way the highest qualified community was befooled by the highest education grants commission of India under flimsy bureaucratic orders. After the due justice to the sufferers, as above, their redressed salary arriving at on 01.01.2006 may please be considered for fixation under the new UGC pay scale to be announced under the Sixth Pay guidelines and recommendations from the Hon’ble Professor Chaddha Commission. It is important to tender the request that the Teachers who served as a Professor for at least five years or above, may please be given at least three extra increments over and above the one recommended to be fixed as per Central Govt. Gazette Notification on Pay Fixation Formula, dated 30.08.2008 under the 6th Pay Commission within the frame work (pay scale) of a Professor awaited from the UGC coupled with allowing a Selection/Super Selection Grade to the Professors with 10 years of continuous service in a Central University.
This will be the minimum courtesy from the MHRD to honour this highest literate position under the Govt. of India who builds up and shapes the able human resources through this noble profession to carefully and graciously command different spheres of the whole nation. Further, I do agree with Professor Chaddha that teachers’ periodical appraisal and emphasis on the maintenance of discipline, morality and sense of integrity should be the part and parcel of the new pay package.

Protest Day

Teachers of Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung performing their duties without disrupting the ongoing mid-term examinations in the college, even as they observe their 'Protest Day' by wearing black badges against the failure of the 6th UGC Pay Review Committee to submit its recommendation to the central government.
Mokokchung, September 24 (MExN): The Fazl Ali College Teachers Association (FACTA) under the directive of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organization (AIFUCTO) and its subordinate, the All Nagaland Government College Teachers Association (ANGCTA), today observed "Protest Day" in protest against the failure of the 6th UGC Pay Review Committee to submit its recommendation to the Central Government. The teachers, along with the rest of the colleges and universities in the country, wore black badges to symbolize their protest. The protest was observed peacefully and the teachers performed their normal duties without disrupting the ongoing mid-term examinations in the college.The ANGCTA had earlier issued a circular to all it affiliated units that the protest must be conducted in a peaceful manner, and that normal classes must not be disrupted in any event. It is learned that the 6th UGC Pay Review Committee was supposed to submit its report to the Union Government by 6th of September 2008, which it failed to, for which today's protest was staged as the first phase of a nation-wide strike by the AIFUCTO . It is also learned that the last date of submission of the Report is postponed to October 5, 2008. The AIFUCTO will intensify its protest in the event of the failure by the Committee to submit the Report during the stipulated time.

College teachers protest delay in UGC pay review panel report

HYDERABAD: Members of the AP Federation of College Teachers’ Associations (FCTA) on Wednesday observed ‘protest day’ expressing resentment against ‘inordinate’ delay in submission of the Sixth UGC Pay Review Committee report to the Centre.
S. Laxminayarana, chairman, said in a statement that the day marked the beginning of the agitation by university/college teachers. He stated that members of the federation would be forced to resort to more drastic action, including a nation-wide strike, if the committee failed to submit its report before October 5. Members of the AP Affiliated College Teachers’ Association also observed protested day in response to a call by the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations. G. Mallikarjun Rao, general secretary, said in a statement that 4,500 colleges across the State had protested.

Teachers seek pay revision report

College teachers here attended classes wearing black armband on Wednesday to protest against the delay in submission of the sixth University Grants Commission (UGC) Pay Revision recommendations by Prof. Chaddha Committee to the Government.
The Mysore University Private College Teachers, who also observed a protest, threatened to go on mass casual leave shortly if the committee did not submit its report soon to facilitate the Government to implement the recommendations of the sixth UGC Pay Commission.
Addressing presspersons, general secretary of the Mysore University Private College Teachers’ Association (MUPCTA) Mohan Raj said that college teachers from across the State would meet in Bangalore in a couple of weeks and take out a procession if the revised pay scales were not implemented by December.
The committee was supposed to submit its report on September 6. “Prof. Chaddha is seeking lame excuses to delay submission of the report,” Prof. Mohan Raj said.
The pay scales of UGC teachers were revised in 1996. Though the term of the previous commission’s recommendations was to end in 10 years during 2006, the pay scales of the university teachers had not been revised for the past 12 years, he said.
Prof. Mohan Raj said the teachers’ representatives would also lead a delegation to New Delhi shortly to pressure the Centre for early implementation of pay revision report. “We will meet the officials of the Human Resource Development Ministry,” he added.
MUPCTA president C.R. Raju urged the Centre and the State Government to implement the recommendations as soon as the report was submitted.

University College Teachers to Protest Failure of UGC Pay Review Committee on Sep 24

Panaji, Sep 24: In response to the call given by All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organizations (AIFUCTO), the University College Teachers’ Association Goa (UCTAG) is going to observe Wednesday September 24 as ‘protest day’. This is to protest the failure of the sixth UGC Pay Review Committee (PRC) or Prof Chadda Committee, to submit its recommendations to the central government on time. AIFUCTO president Prof Thomas Joseph and general secretary Prof Ashok Barman, clarified that the Chadda Committee was required to submit its report by September 6. The leadership of AIFUCTO has repeatedly voiced the sentiments of teachers that the PRC should submit its report within the prescribed time limit. The failure of the committee to submit its report even after implementation of the sixth Pay Review Committee recommendations for central government employees is a matter that deserves serious national concern. The XIth Plan perspective clearly states that inclusive development in a knowledge society is premised on making provisions for quality education for all. The project of quality education for all is closely linked up with the project of attracting and retaining talented teachers in public-funded higher education institutions. AIFUCTO leaders warned that Wednesday would only mark the beginning of their protest. They said that the teaching community will be forced to resort to more drastic actions including going on nationwide strike if the committee fails to submit its report before October 5, one month after the original due date for the submission of the report. As per the decision taken in the executive council meeting of the UCTAG held on Monday September 22, Gurunath Prabhu Khanolker, president, UCTAG, has appealed to all the teachers in colleges across the state to hold demonstrations in their respective institutions and attend classes wearing protest badges.
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Labels: UGC Pay Review
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Chaddha Commitee will take no longer than necessary

NEW DELHI: Much to the chagrin of the UPA government, the University Grants Commission’s pay review committee is unable to “estimate” how much more time it will require to finalise its recommendations. The committee headed by Professor G K Chadha was supposed to submit its report on September 5. The HRD ministry has given it a month’s extension, but professor Chadha is unwilling to commit himself to a public deadline. The UPA government would like to wrap up the pay review before elections are announced. College and university teachers are an important electoral constituency and the government would rather give them the expected pay hike in time so that it can reap electoral dividends. However, the Chadha Committee does promise “radical” changes which will help the Indian higher education sector meet the socio-economic and cultural challenges in the era of globalisation, even as Professor Chadha is unwilling to commit a deadline. He says that the committee will take “no longer than is necessary”. One of the reasons, the chairman has cited for the delay is that the committee is yet to reach at a consensus on three or four issues. These include changes in the “layers” of the faculty at the college and university levels — the choice is to continue with the current gradation from lecturer to reader to professor or to introduce new levels. Professor Chadha said that should changes be introduced, suitable time scales will also have to be introduced. Other unresolved issues include whether the UGC pay committee should replicate the central pay commission’s system for grade pay and pay bands, and the manner in which to resolve the anomalies of the previous committee’s — the Rastogi Committee — recommendations. Another area that the committee members feel needs more attention is the manner in which stagnation of college and university professors can be addressed. At present, it seen that often college professors achieve the top of their scale and then continue to remain there without any possibilities of advancement. Former IISc director Professor G Padmanaban, who is member of the committee, said that there was a strong view within the panel that no teacher should suffer from stagnation. Now, the committee needs to work out a way to compensate these members of the teaching community, and to do so they will need to find parallels within the sixth pay commission’s recommendation. In light of the vast higher education expansion plans of the government, the committee has suggested a uniform retirement age of 65 years across the country. At present, there is a “great discrepancy” in the retirement age that ranges for 55 to 65 years. “We are in a situation when availability of teaching faculty is critical to the government’s plans. This issue can be addressed to some measure through a retirement age that is uniformly set across the entire higher education system,” Professor Chadha said. Professor Chadha said that at the entry level the higher education sector is competing with the corporate sector and civil services for the best minds. “We need to offer an attractive package. While we can’t compete with the corporate sector it should be such that 10 years down the road, the academic has no regrets.” Stating that the choice was clear, Professor Chadha said, “We can’t give the red carpet welcome but we can provide a decent living condition”. The effort to attract the best minds to join the academic circuit will include “unprecedented financial support” and improved research facilities.
( ET)

Protest Against UGC PRC( Prof.Chaddha Commitee)

PRESS RELEASE AIFUCTO LAUNCHES NATION WIDE PROTESTAGAINST UGC PAY REVIEW COMMITTEE
Kolkota
7-9-2008 The All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organizations (AIFUCTO) will observe 24th of September, 2008 as “PROTEST DAY” protesting against the failure of the VIth UGC PAY REVIEW COMMITTEE(Prof. Chadda Committee) to submit its recommendations to the Central Government on time. Teachers in universities and colleges across the country will hold demonstrations in their respective institutions and attend to their classes wearing protest badges. More than 100 organizations of university and college teachers across the country with a combined membership of more than five lakh University and college level teachers will take part in the protest programme. AIFUCTO President Prof . Thomas Joseph and General Secretary Prof. Asok Barman clarified that the Chadda Committee was mandated to submit its report by 6th of September .The leadership of AIFUCTO have repeatedly voiced the sentiments of teachers that the PRC should submit its report within the time limit.The Committee had given assurance to AIFUCTO that it will do its level best to submit its recommendations on time. The failure of the committee to submit its report even after the implementation of the VIth Pay Review Committee recommendations for the Central Government employees is a matter that deserves serious national concern. The failure to submit the Pay Review Committee Report on time is not a failure of the Committee alone. It is the failure of the UGC and the Central Government as well. The delay in extending the benefits of enhanced salary and service conditions is not merely a matter of grave concern to the teachers, it is a matter of serious concern for the entire nation as well. The XIth Plan perspective clearly states that inclusive development in a knowledge society is premised on making provisions for quality education for all. The project of quality education for all is closely linked up with the project of attracting and retaining talented teachers in public funded higher education institutions. AIFUCTO leaders warned that September 24 would only mark the beginning of their protest. They said that the teaching community will be forced to resort to more drastic actions including going on nation wide strike if the Committee fails to submit its report before 5th October, 2008, one month after the due date for the submission of the report. Thomas Joseph Asok Barman
President General Secretary

Chaddha commitee on range of issues related with pay revision

Press Information Bureau Government of India
Sunday, September 14, 2008

Ministry of Human Resource Development


OPENING REMARKS OF PROF. G.K CHADHA, CHAIRMAN UGC PAY REVIEW COMMITTEE IN THE PRESS INTERACTION ON STATUS OF THE WORK OF PAY REVIEW COMMITTEE


18:20 IST



Let me welcome you all this afternoon to this press conference on behalf of the Pay Review Committee that, as you are well aware, has been constituted by the University Grants Commission to review the pay scales and other issues of service and working conditions of university and college teachers in the country. I wish to share with you and through you with my lakhs of university and college teacher colleagues spread in various parts of the country—some really remote and far flung— the progress of the functioning of the Pay Review Committee, particularly the range of issues on which the Committee has been dilating with a view to giving the teachers a very ‘decent deal’. As you are aware, the Pay Review Committee was appointed in the larger context of the VI Central Pay Commission appointed by the Government of India for recommending the revised scales of pay for central government employees. Now that the recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission have finally been accepted and notified by the Government of India, the concern of the university and college teachers about the recommendation of our Pay Review Committee and their implementation is quite understandable and the Pay Review Committee is quite conscious of this concern. The Pay Review Committee, however, also knows that it is only on August 29th and 30th, 2008 that is only about two weeks ago that the final recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission as accepted by the Government of India became available. A large number of recommendations of Pay Review Committee, particularly those in relation to the revision of scales of pay and pension and other terminal benefits being dependent on those recommendations could not have been discussed and firmed up meaningfully before this. The terms of Reference of our Pay Review Committee, thanks to the farsight of the University Grants Commission, for which the entire Pay Review Committee compliments the UGC, cover practically every single aspect of teachers service and working conditions ranging from pay and allowances to recruitment policy, opportunities for career advancement, availability of infrastructure and related facilities for teaching and research in university and colleges, special needs of women teachers and there work in rural and remote areas. Various kinds of leave facilities admissible to teachers, their academic accountability and the age of retirement and terminal benefits like pension, provident fund and gratuity. In addition, the Pay Review Committee has also been asked to, look into the anomalies arising out of the implementation of the last Pay Review Committee and suggest redressal for these. To identify these issues which related to over 200 universities and over 6000 colleges affiliated to the University Grants Commission was in itself a gigantic task and for this, the Pay Review Committee decided to use a multi pronged methodology that involved interacting with various stakeholders like the Professors, Readers, lecturers—particularly those who have been appointed recently—in both universities and colleges, the Directors of Physical Education, Librarians, Vice Chancellors and various teachers’ Associations and Federations. Also consulted were Eminent Educationists, Public Persons, Ministers of Education in various states and Educations Secretaries and Directors of Public Instruction. Also, special questionnaires were devised—one for universities and another for colleges—which were sent to over 200 universities and 6000 colleges for eliciting information regarding diverse issues and the those general conditions relating to higher education that has a direct bearing on teachers’ service and working conditions. The Pay Review Committee has also received nearly five hundred representations and memoranda from individuals, institutions and teachers’ associations and federations which too have been scrutinized carefully to know about the concerns and aspirations of the teaching community in universities and colleges. Having done this—which as you can appreciate was a formidable task in itself—the Pay Review Committee has held a series of meetings—some lasting over several days-to discuss and arrive at a consensus about various issues. In fact, we have just finished one such significant meeting that started yesterday morning and I am glad to share with you the fact that the members of the Pay Review Committee present here with me this afternoon have arrived at significant decision about these issues that can be divided into the following broad categories:  Revised structure of Pay and allowances for various categories of teachers, D.P.Es and Librarians  Pension and other related benefits for social security of teachers, including the age of retirement and reemployment of teachers.  The quantum of Central government financial assistance to states for implementing these recommendations of the Pay Review Committee  A uniform date and manner of implementation of the recommendations throughout the country  Recruitment policy and eligibility conditions for various categories of teachers and Principals of colleges.  Opportunities for promotion under Career Advancement Scheme of both university and college teachers.  Infrastructure and other support facilities for improving the quality of teaching and research.  Teaching work load and academic accountability of teachers.  Residual anomalies from the last Pay Review Committee and their redressal. Each of these broad categories and many more issues were further subdivided into more focussed issues, including some of which are entirely new and innovative and are being considered for the first time to attract and retain talent in the field of higher education. Again these range from a better financial package to providing better academic environment for teaching and research. 1. Pay and Allowances These include, among others-- (a) The possibilities of granting some additional incentives at the entry level, some kind of academic allowance or allowance for working in remote and inaccessible areas, etc. (b) Questions relating to pay fixation and stagnation 2. Pension and other related benefits… These include, among others— (a) the question of invoking a uniform policy about the age of retirement and reemployment of teachers, to rid India’s higher education sector of the existing unhealthy inter regional disparities in this regard. (b) Exploring the possibility of extending benefits like medical and general group insurance to all university and college teachers. 3. The Quantum of financial assistance… These include the most crucial questions, among others— a. How much assistance should the central government extend to states for a smooth implementation of the recommendations of the Pay Review Committee. b. The period for which such assistance needs to be extended to the states. c. Incentives that could be given to states for successful implementation of the entire package of recommendations of the Pay Review Committee. 4. The Date and manner of implementation… The issues under this broad category include, among others--- (a) 01-01-2006 to be the date from which the recommendations of the Pay Review Committee should be implemented throughout the country. (b) The manner in which it should be implemented so that benefits can be derived uniformally by all teachers without inter regional or inter- institutional deviations. 5. Recruitment policy… The issues include, among others, a) How to extend better financial and otherincentives to attract and retain better talent in the field of teaching in higher education, particularly at the entry level. b) How new categories of teaching position need to be created to make the profession of teaching more attractive. c) How and means can be devised to give a better financial deal to those who are working as contract teachers and guest faculty. 6. Opportunities for Career Advancement of teachers in both universities and colleges… This is one of the most crucial issues before the Pay Review Committee. It includes, among others, a) The manner in which the CAS can be made more teacher friendly especially in terms of creating more opportunities. The need for a third promotion for college teachers is engaging our attention in particular. b) To look into the present conditions of eligibility and selection processes and suggest ways and means of making it more expeditions. 7. Infrastructure and other facilities… This category of issues includes, among others, a) examining the existing infrastructure and support facilities for teaching and research, particularly in colleges and recommendations for their upgradation. b) To explore ways and means for providing some seed money to teachers both in universities and colleges for promoting research. 8. Teaching workload... a) The issue of workload and academic accountability of teachers includes whether the classroom teaching load of teachers needs to be revisited b) What kind of criteria need to be evolved for effective, transparent assessment of teachers’ work. 9. Anomalies from the previous… One of the most challenging tasks before the Pay Review Committee has been to look at the anomalies of the previous Pay Review Committee and suggest redressal for some of most glaring ones. The total number of issues –some of them most crucial for the future of higher education and economic development of India –runs into no fewer than 100 odd issues. I am glad to say that a consensus on all issues has been reached in a series of meetings, including those held yesterday and today. I can only say with utmost sincerity that the recommendations would give my fellow teachers more than what any rational thinker would call ‘a very decent’ deal. This committee has deliberated on issues connected with higher education in a socio-economic and cultural milieu qualitatively so much different from what it was a decade ago, particularly in view of the demands of new global challenges in the higher education sector especially at the level of college education. It needs to be asserted that at the present juncture we have to think the best for the teaching profession vis-à-vis corporate sector and civil services. The committee is fully conscious of the criticality of time for the report to reach its final destination. That is why we have been working very hard to ensure that what is due to the teaching committee as a result of pay scales and improved working conditions should not come to them even a day later. HB/MT