It was on 27th of December 2018 when a high level meeting of state universities vice chancellors was convened at Raj Bhawan Jammu. In the meeting you laid emphasis on building and enhancing research capabilities in the universities for keeping pace with the changing global research scenario. Ideally, research should be the utmost priority in higher education. Research in natural or social sciences ultimately serves the interests of mankind.
Presently a large number of assistant professors in colleges possess research degrees. Research is incentivised by advance increments for PhD/M.Phil degree holders at the entry level. The MHRD notification dated November 2, 2017, about the VII Pay revision for teachers in colleges and universities across the country, surfaced following the cabinet decision on the same on October 11, 2017. One of the recommendations in the MHRD notification was on the withdrawal of PhD/M.Phil increments, thereby downgrading the level of teachers in the higher education.
Teachers in higher education were dissatisfied and agitated by this ill conceived idea of doing away with the advance increments. It would have had serious consequences for research in the long run and adversely affect the career progression of teachers who will join the profession late but with higher qualifications. Subsequently the MHRD ministry, after looking into the pros and cons of the policy, restored the advance increments.
But in our state it seems like a herculean task to get these increments back. Even though the central universities in our state have immediately followed the new revised guidelines by restoring financial incentives for PhD and M.Phil holders, college teachers are left deserted after so many failed attempts to get their issues resolved. The increments file is unnecessarily made part of the long pending larger issues which could get addressed in the new Recruitment Rules. But the framing of recruitment rules is a time consuming and complicated task. Needless to mention here that the authorities took away increments immediately once the initial MHRD notification was issues, but restoring the same is like changing the course of history.
The college teachers associations have time and again visited the civil secretariat, apprised the authorities on the issue. Each time they are assured about the needful. But it has been more than six months of agony and despair. We don’t know what further needs to be done to get our legitimate demands heard and fulfilled.
We seek your immediate intervention on the issue. On the role of a teacher Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher”. But dissatisfaction should not affect the performance of the third important actor.
Regards
Concerned college teachers of J&K