Promotion of 31 teachers: PU syndicate forms review committee
The RAO said that the teachers had applied for the process based on the criteria of previous University Grants Commission(UGC) guidelines.
Panjab University syndicate in its meeting on Wednesday has decided to form a review committee to examine the objections raised against the promotion of 31 teachers.
The teachers who were seeking promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) were left in the lurch when the resident auditor officer (RAO) raised objections on the criteria under which they were promoted. The RAO said that the teachers had applied for the process based on the criteria of previous University Grants Commission(UGC) guidelines.
In the meeting, it was decided that the teachers should be given an option to apply under the criteria of UGC 2018 guidelines. The committee formed will review their applications.
UGC in its clause 6.3 notes the faculty are likely to qualify shortly under the existing guidelines but did not give the exact period for the procedure. It is now creating problems in their promotion.
In 2018, UGC under its new guidelines noted that criteria for promotion under CAS laid down under these regulations shall be effective from the date of its notification. However, for the convenience of faculty members who had already qualified or were likely to qualify ‘shortly’ under the existing regulations, a choice may be given to them for being considered for promotion under the existing regulations. This option can be exercised only within three years from the date of notification of these regulations, the guidelines said.
PUTA discussed the matter in its meeting on Tuesday and was later discussed in the syndicate meeting.
“The committee will review the applications of the teachers who want to apply for the promotion as per the 2018 guidelines of the UGC. We are hopeful that most of the applications will be approved by the review committee,” said Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) president Rajesh Gill. A review committee had also been formed in 2013 when a similar situation had occurred.
On October 11, PUTA had sought UGC’s assistance to resolve the issue . Gill also said that UGC may take time to reply which is why the subject was discussed in the meeting.
“These cases will be re-verified by the committee following which they can submit their applications,” said a syndicate member.