The higher education department has not restored PhD increment for in-service assistant and associate professors of government degree colleges in Kashmir despite UGC decision allowing it since June last year.
The department has also delayed release of salary forsubstitute professors engaged over the years in various degree colleges.
The “delaying tactics” adopted by the department has enragedthe teaching faculty working in the colleges who cite the UGC order of June2018.
An official said, the entitlement of PhD increment forcollege and university professors was scrapped by the UGC in 2016 after thegovernment implemented 7th pay commission for employees.
“But in June 2018, UGC restored this incentive forprofessors after facing countrywide agitation of college and universityteachers organised by All India Federation of University and College Teachers’Organisations (AIFUCTO) and Federation of College and University Teachers’Associations (FEDCUTA),” the official said.
However, the higher education department of J&K hasshelved restoration of the emoluments to the teachers for unknown reasons.
“It is disheartening for us. The continuous delay willresult in accumulation of the amount (due to us) and we have apprehensions thatthe finance department will later stonewall the process by citing lack offunds,” said an assistant professor of a city college.
According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) theincrement for college professors with PhD degree is three percent of the basicpay of the assistant and associate professors.
“PhD increment gives a hike of Rs 5000 for assistantprofessors and Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 for associate professors,” the assistantprofessor said.
The UGC guidelines say any college professor havingcompleted PhD before recruitment in the higher education department gets fiveincrement and those who are pursuing PhD degree after being recruited areentitled for three increments.
Meanwhile, the department has also failed to pay the salaryto the substitute teachers engaged in various degree colleges of Kashmir underFaculty Improvement Programme (FIP) of UGC.
Under FIP, substitute teachers are hired for a period of oneor two years in place of permanent faculty members who opt for a researchprogramme.
“Our monthly salary is fixed as 50 percent of the basicsalary of the permanent faculty member. But we are denied the same (researchbenefits) for unknown reasons,” said a substitute teachers working in a citycollege, adding that their salary is remunerated to the colleges by UGC.
“My contract is about to finish in my college but I am yetto receive my salary from previous months.”
The FIP provides financial assistance along with travelallowance to a permanent associate or assistant professor of a university orcollege for doing MPhil or completing PhD.
The assistance is provided to the colleges which areincluded in the list maintained by the UGC under section 2(f) and 12 (B) of theUGC Act, 1956.
“During research period, the permanent faculty member ispaid full salary but we are denied the same which is sheer injustice,” anotherteacher said.
Substitute teachers are working in Womens’ College MA Road,SP College Srinagar and Islamia College and few other colleges of Kashmir.
“But the problem persists in city colleges only,” thesubstitute teacher said.
Commissioner Secretary higher education department, TalatParvez didn’t respond to repeated calls from this newspaper.