The higher education department has decided to pay salary of academic arrangements to the substitute teachers engaged in the non-accredited colleges under Faculty Improvement Programme (FIP).
As reported earlier in Greater Kashmir, the substitute teachers engaged in Valley colleges have not been paid salary for the past one year. The decision comes in the wake of the refusal from University Grants Commission (UGC) to release salary grant for substitute teachers engaged in non-accredited colleges. Earlier, UGC in its letter to state administration had stated that salary of substitute teachers was not released since the commission had imposed a condition that the grant to colleges which are not accredited by NAAC or those who had not applied for NAAC till December 31, 2015 may be discontinued from April 01, 2016 onwards.
Following the development, the higher education department had sent a communiqué to director colleges J&K and sought details of these teachers engaged in non-accredited colleges. The director of colleges has been asked to furnish the details of all such cases of both the divisions along with factual report to the higher education up to July 13.
Meanwhile, director colleges, Zahoor Ahmad Chatt said they are analysing details of non-accredited colleges and substitute teachers engaged in institutions under FIP programme. “We have decided to give them salary from local fund of colleges as UGC has refused pay salary of these teachers. But the salary of these teachers will be equivalent to academic arrangement appointed in colleges on contractual basis,” said Chatt, adding that the teachers having PhD or NET will be paid Rs 28000 per month while as non-PhD and NET candidates will be paid Rs 22000 per month.
Also, a letter has been shot to nodal principals of colleges of Kashmir and Jammu division who have been asked to submit details of substitute teachers engaged in non-accredited colleges in their respective regions. “Some Principals of non-accredited colleges have appointed teachers as substitute to assistant professor pursuing research programme under FIP scheme of UGC. The salary of these teachers has been refused by UGC in view of ineligibility of such colleges,” reads the letter shot to the nodal principals.
In the letter they have been asked to compile the details of such appointments made in their respective divisions so as to enable the department “to process their cases for release of their salary out of Central pool funds”. Under FIP, UGC provides financial assistance along with travel allowance to a permanent associate or assistant professor of a university or college for doing MPhil or completing PhD from universities or colleges.
The authorities in concerned colleges hire a substitute teacher for a period of one or two years in place of the permanent faculty members who opt for research programme and their monthly salary is equivalent to the basic salary of the permanent faculty. As per UGC norms, non-accredited colleges are not authorized to engage substitute teachers under the scheme.