7th UGC pay scales yet to be given, Himachal teachers agitated

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 9

Concerned over the non-implementation of the seventh UGC pay scales in the state notified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in January 2018, the joint action committee (JAC) of the college and university teachers today unanimously resolved that a delegation would meet Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to apprise him of the issue.

Almost all states have already implemented the seventh UGC pay scales, but a stepmotherly treatment is being meted out to state college and university teachers, said committee members.

The state government has notified the pay scales for their employees but it has forgotten to do so for the staff of universities and colleges, they rued.

University and college teachers held a meeting virtually and it was decided that if the issue is not addressed by the state, they would be forced to adopt coercive measures to show their resentment.

It has been almost four years since the UGC notification was issued but it is yet to be implemented in the state, which is a big question mark on the government, the teachers’ associations maintained.

There are about 2,950 teachers, including 2,300 teachers in 140 government colleges, 120 in five government aided colleges and 500 in three universities, said official spokespersons of the joint action committee — Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers’ Association (HPGCTA) general secretary RL Sharma and Himachal Pradesh University Teachers’ Welfare Association (HPUTWA) general secretary Joginder Saklani.

There are many issues related with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, which is an ambitious policy of the government, so the views of stakeholders and their service conditions should also be taken care of by the government for its effective implementation, they added.