Retirement age of teachers, profs in colleges & univs raised to 65 yrs

Kolkata: The state government has decided to increase the retirement age of teachers and professors in colleges and universities to 65 years and that of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors of varsities to 70.

Speaking at the Convocation address of Calcutta University on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: "I believe that teachers and professors attain the level of maturity through their experience and it is after 60 when they are able to deliver the best for their respective institutions. So we have taken a decision of raising the age bar for retirement."

According to Banerjee, students nowadays mature at a young age because of the infrastructural facilities they are entitled to but earlier the maturity level was attained at an older age.

"The average age of mortality for a person has become 85. So if somebody retires at the age of 60, what will he do for the next 25 years," Banerjee maintained. It may be mentioned that it was in 2017 when the Mamata Banerjee government had raised the retirement age of college and varsity teachers to 62 years.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee later added that the department is forming an expert committee to work out the modalities regarding the enhancement of the retirement age.

Assuring the students regarding employability, Banerjee stated that her government has been instrumental in bringing down unemployment by 40 percent. "We are taking all possible measures for employability by developing infrastructure and there will be no scarcity of jobs in the state," she said.

The Chief Minister, who has already offered 5 acres land for CU for a technology campus at Rajarhat in New Town, assured the varsity that the government will be ready to provide plot if the varsity comes up with a proposal of setting up an Arts campus. Banerjee, who had earlier given a grant of Rs 100 crore for innovation and research to the varsity, urged state Education minister Partha Chatterjee to consider allocating further grant for progress in science and social science.

Banerjee said CU is coming up with a chair to honour Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar on his 200th birth anniversary and another chair in the name of Mahatma Gandhi to mark the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary.

She also announced that she will lay the foundation stone for Kanyashree university in Nadia on January 10 and added that there will be a close linkage of the varsity with Calcutta University.