The Panjab University (File)Written by Ritish Pandit
On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced to that Punjab will implement the revised pay scales of the University Grants Commission (UGC) under the Seventh Pay Commission for teachers working in all the universities and colleges of the state from October 1.
The Indian Express spoke to the teachers of Panjab University, where the delay in implementation of revised UGC pay scales has become a contentious topic. Speaking to the Indian Express, Prof M Rajivlochan of PU’s History Department and former General Secretary of Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA), said, “It’s a welcome step by CM Mann. Revised UGC pay scales were a legitimate right of university teachers. This decision has been pending for almost last 7 years and this long a wait to make a decision to implement the revised pay scales shows the society undervalues teachers. Other states in the country had already implemented the revised pay scales. It’s sheer negligence on part of the previous government”.
Dr Ashutosh Kumar, Chairperson, PU’s Political Science Department, said, “The implementation of revised UGC pay scales should have been done much earlier. PU is one of the oldest universities in India and has been in a state of decline for quite some time due to its sui generis status i.e., neither a state or nor a central university.”
He added, “It must be accorded a status of central university or centrally funded institution. It’s difficult to understand how turning of PU into a central university would harm interests of Punjab and its people. A CM who folded hands to ask for a hundred year old state university to become a central university. Why? Because central university status would have helped the institution, that state already has two central university.”
Reacting to this development, PUTA president, Mritunjay Kumar, said, “It was a much awaited decision. The entire faculty of the university is very happy since this announcement was made on the auspicious occasion of Teachers’ Day. We’re very happy that CM Mann has fulfilled his promise which he had given in the Assembly. This decision came after a long period of around six and half years but was possible due to the hard work of PFUCTO, PUTA and the entire teaching fraternity of Punjab and Chandigarh colleges and universities”.