Tamil Nadu: College teachers praise hike in retirement age

COIMBATORE: While most of the government employees’ associations have opposed the state’s move to increase the retirement age from 58 to 59, government college teachers have welcomed it.
Representatives of the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers Association (TNGCTA) said they have been demanding it for several years, as per the norms prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
TNGCTA president T Veeramani said government college teachers get recruited only when they are around 40 years old and if they are to retire at 58, they would not be able to complete even 20 years of service. “A teacher aspirant completes PG by 22, MPhil by 24 and PhD by the 30, and acquires almost a decade of teaching experience and crosses 40 when he or she gets qualified for selection as an assistant professor in a government college,” he said.
As per the UGC recommendation, retirement age for college teachers is 65 in six states, 62 in 10 states and 60 in 11 states, whereas it was 58 in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, Veeramani said.