UGC breather to assistant professors on promotion scheme

Giving a major relief to teachers ahead of the crucial Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) election, the University Grants Commission, a fund granting arm of the HRD Ministry, on Thursday relaxed the promotion scheme for assistant professors to higher grade pay. The notification issued by UGC in this regard will benefit about 7,000 plus teachers teaching in different colleges of the university.

According to the UGC notification, an assistant professor who has completed service of four years, possessing a PhD degree in the relevant discipline shall be eligible for moving to Academic Grade Pay (AGP) of Rs 7,000. 

The letter, written to all vice- chancellors of the central as well as state universities by UGC Secretary J S Sandhu, read that an assistant professor who completed PhD or MPhil degree within four or five years from the date of his/her appointment shall also be eligible for moving from AGP of Rs 6,000 to AGP of Rs 7,000 after completion of four and five years of his/her service respectively. 

“If the incumbent acquired <g data-gr-id="15">PhD</g>/MPhil after completion of four or five years of service and before six years of service respectively, then also a teacher will be eligible to move to AGP of Rs 7,000 from the date of award of the degree,” the UGC order said.

Commenting on the issue, UGC member Inder Mohan Kapahy said: “The decision has been taken for 

the benefit of the teachers’ fraternity and it should not be linked to DUTA polls.” 

It’s pertinent to mention here that Kapahy is the founding member of National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF), a BJP-backed teachers’ body, which has fielded its candidates for every post in DUTA elections. The election of teachers’ representative body is scheduled to be held on August 27.