State govt to introduce bio-metric attendance for college, varsity professors

The state government is working to introduce bio-metric attendance for college and university professors. A section of the college teachers, however, protested the move, but the government is sticking to their position.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee earlier justified the move saying that if his attendance is registered in the State Assembly, as well as the Speaker’s, then the attendance of teachers should also be recorded.

Chatterjee had also asked why teachers should be exempted from the rule when they take attendance of students.

Senior officers in the state are now working on the project. They have been discussing about how the system could be implemented.

However, some professors’ associations protested against the state government’s recent decision of not extending the service life of professors after their retirement.

Some of the association earlier conducted cease work at Jadavpur University against this decision.

But Chatterjee was unperturbed by their reactions. “Every one of those professors is not Satyen Bose or Amartya Sen. How can they demand extension? We want fresh and talented pool of professors in the colleges and universities,” Chatterjee said earlier.

The move to introduce bio-metric attendance for the professors was a long standing demand of the students.

“Most of the professors will support this. It will bring justice,” said an Education department source.

However, the state government recently has decided to offer pending increments to college professors who are holding MPhil and PhD degrees as well.

Chatterjee has already instructed the department to clear the dues from September 2008, which will soon be released.

Around 12,000 teachers of state-run and state-aided colleges will benefit from the decision.

To give out the pending increments to the college professors was the election agenda of Trinamool Congress, and the government led by Trinamool Congress is going to do it.

The Education department source confirmed that the money was pending till September 2008.

At least 12 per cent salary pending salary in accordance with the Sixth Pay Commission will be given out.

The professors, who have completed PhD or any equivalent degrees before getting the job, will get five times the increment.

The professors, who have completed those degrees during the period of his job, they will get three times the increment.