BHUBANESWAR: At a time when teachers of agriculture universities across the country are reaping promotional benefits under Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), their counterparts at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here are an unfortunate lot.
Even as over a decade has passed since CAS was implemented by the Ministry through University Grants Commission, they continue to be deprived of promotions and other related financial benefits. OUAT is the lone Government-run agriculture university in the State, affiliated to Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Although teachers have requested the State Government to implement CAS time and again, the latter has not paid any heed to the demand so far. Sources said the OUAT’s Board of Management had considered the teachers’ demand for CAS in a meeting in August last year and subsequently, sent a report to the State Government for final approval. However, the Government is yet to give green signal to CAS implementation.
The teachers alleged that as CAS has not been implemented, a large number of teachers are retiring without promotions. “The delay has created a sense of inferiority among teachers,” said general secretary of OUAT Teachers’ Association Akshaya Kumar Senapati.
“Not a single teacher of the agriculture university has got a promotion since 2006 despite performing their duties religiously,” he said, adding that the current pay package for university teachers would cease to exist in 2016 once the seventh revised pay package is announced by the Union Government. “This would deprive eligible teachers of their legitimate claim for promotion under CAS and the related financial benefits,” Senapati added.
Like CAS benefits, superannuation age of OUAT teachers is yet to be increased from 60 to 65.
The State Government had increased the retirement age of teachers of medical colleges to 65 and raised the superannuation age of all Government employees to 60. But it has been sitting on UGC guidelines to increase OUAT teachers’ retirement age to 65, alleged Pradip Kumar Banerjee of Directorate of Extension Education, OUAT.