No age relaxation for pvt college teachers applying for govt posts irks applicants

Lovleen Bains

Doraha, October 27

While on one hand advertising of posts of Assistant Professors and Librarians by the Punjab Government after more than two decades is being hailed, on the other hand no relaxation for those teaching in private aided colleges, despite being equally qualified, has met with resentment.

In the currently advertised posts, the age limit fixed for the general category is 37 years. Relaxation has though been given to SC, OBC, government employees, widows, divorcee, PWD, forces, and contractual teachers of government colleges.

“A number of students have acquired eligibility and higher qualification in the past more than 20 years from the time the posts were last advertised but never got the jobs as they were never advertised. As a result they had to join private colleges against the permanent posts. Recruitment in private aided colleges too remained suspended for more than 10 years from 2004 onwards,” said a PhD qualified teacher, teaching at a local college.

“A majority of these teachers, who are working against unaided permanent posts, are now facing problems. Decline in enrolment ratio in these colleges has led to financial crisis and resultant withholding of salaries of unaided staff for months together,” said another teacher working against a permanent unaided post in a local college.

“A number of them also bore the brunt of rationalisation. Although they belong to the highly qualified class, many of them remain vulnerable to exploitation,” he said.

Panjab University Senate member Shaminder Singh Sandhu said the upper age limit fixed by the government was 37 years for the posts where basic qualification was graduation, the same age limit where basic qualification is PhD (for non-NET candidates) seems unreasonable as it takes at least seven more years after graduation to complete the basic requirement for the post of Assistant Professor.

“Relaxation to part time, guest faculty and contractual teachers of government colleges in terms of age and marks for experience is befitting as they have served these colleges for long. But the teachers serving in the private colleges and facing the lack of opportunity in the government sector have also become over-aged. Even the UGC has put no such restriction on age to appear either for the NET or any other entry level exam. Moreover, the teachers willing to serve in the field of higher education complete their education (MPhil/PhD) around the age of 30 and in the last two decades they have not got any appropriate opportunity, as a result of which they have become overage,” said Sandhu.

“Age relaxation given to contractual teachers of government colleges should be extended to the ones serving in private colleges on aided as well as unaided posts. I have written to the Minister of Higher Education and the Secretary, Higher Education, in this regard,” Sandhu added.

Meanwhile, a delegation of teachers is also learnt to have met Higher Education Minister Pargat Singh in this regard.