KOCHI: Private colleges which refuse to pay qualified teachers the salary as directed by the government will lose their affiliation. The decision was taken by the committee appointed by the government for fixing the terms and conditions of service of teachers working in self-financing institutions in the state.
An order issued by the Higher Education Department in July this year states that for teachers of self-financing institutions who possess qualifications like UGC, NET and PhD, the pay-scale set by the UGC for the equivalent post should be applicable.
The teaching faculty of engineering colleges, who have such qualification, should be paid the salary prescribed by the AICTE. However, not all colleges, including university-run self-financing colleges, have implemented the order. The universities will be directed to cancel the affiliation of these colleges.
The order also states that other teaching faculty should be paid a minimum salary of `10,000 per month.
Although this applies to mainly freshers, some colleges have reduced the salary of experienced staff to `10,000. The committee has decided to direct these colleges to retain the earlier pay scale.
Much to the relief of non-teaching staff at self-financing colleges, who continue to be paid a meager amount as salary in many colleges, the committee has also decided on the minimum salary for them which was not included in the previous order.
Sources said that all non-teaching posts are covered under the order and that details regarding the same will be released in a government order within a week.