In what has come as a breath of fresh air after about 10 years for Central college teachers, about 8 lakh of them are set to receive a salary hike of about 22-28 percent. The UGC panel had recommended the increase and the Cabinet is likely to take up the matter this month.
While sources told the Hindustan Times that the recommendation is "most likely to sail through," a senior HRD ministry official told the daily: "A decision on allowances will be taken up later."
The hike will be applicable on the salaries of the staff members of government colleges and universities as well as technical institutes such as IITs and NITs.
According to UGC's recommendations, an assistant professor's entry-level salary would see an increase of Rs 10,396 with a grade pay of Rs 6,000. An associate professor's entry pay will rise by Rs 23,662. While a professor's pay will see a 24 percent jump, the salary of the vice chancellor will increase by 28 percent.
This clearly has brought a cheer among teachers who have been threatening to go on a strike over the delay in the implementation of the recommendations made by the 7th Pay Commission. The last time a pay hike was implemented for the teachers was in 2006.
Along with the salary revision, the performance assessment system of the teachers is also set to undergo some changes and a grading system is likely to be introduced instead of the current point system.
Meanwhile, the hike on the teachers' salary will set the exchequer back by about Rs 70,000 crore over a period of three years. The financial burden will be shared equally by the state and the Central government.
