Plea to increase retirement age to 70

COIMBATORE: A Group of principals of self-financing colleges affiliated to the Bharathiar University have moved the Madras High Court, praying that the retirement age of principals should be raised to 70 years, as per the University Grants Commission’s 2010 regulation for teachers.
The Higher Education Department has fixed the retirement age of college principals at 62 years. Recently, Bharathiar University, where 65 years was the norm, reduced it to 62 years in compliance with the government order.

Now, principals of six affiliated colleges, led by K M Chinnadorai, who is also a member of the University Syndicate, have moved the High Court seeking an increase in retirement age.

“The UGC’s 2010 regulation has fixed the retirement age for teachers as 70 years. It does not mention a separate age for principals. In 2003, the State government fixed 62 years as the retirement age for principals. There has been no change since then. However, for 11 years since 2007, Bharathiar University has followed 65 years as the retirement age for principals. So, we have approached the High Court praying for a direction to the State government to raise the retirement age for principals to 70 years,” said Chinnadorai.

“When a vice chancellor can administer a university at the age of 70 years, why can’t a principal administer a college at 70 years?” he asked.

Reacting to it, Association of University Teachers (AUT) vice president N Pasupathy said, “AUT has been demanding an increase in retirement age for long. But the UGC regulation can be implemented only if the State government decides to adopt these regulations. Courts have also ruled along these lines.”

Bharathiar University had raised the retirement age of principals to 65 years without consulting the State government, though this was against the government order fixing it at 62 years, he added.

Transfer of principals

Bharathiar University has decided to transfer the principals of its constituent colleges to the places where they were originally posted. T Palanisamy, now the principal of Bharathiar University Arts and Science College in Gudalur, will be transferred to its constituent college in Modakurichi and C Vadivel, now working in Modakurichi, will be transferred to the Gudalur college

Notice on PIL to retrieve land

A division bench of the Madras High Court has issued notices to the officials including the Commissioner of Chennai Corporation and the Kancheepuram District Collector on a PIL petition seeking to retrieve land worth crores of rupees in Ullagaram village in Sholinganallur taluk in  Kanchipuram district from the encroachers. The bench issued the notices, when a PIL petition came up before it last week