Chadha Committee Press Release - 14th September 2008

Opening Remarks of Prof. G.K Chadha, Chairman UGC Pay Review Committee in the Press interaction on Status of the work of Pay Review Committee

Let me welcome you all this afternoon to this press conference on behalf of the Pay Review Committee that, as you are well aware, has been constituted by the University Grants Commission to review the pay scales and other issues of service and working conditions of university and college teachers in the country.

I wish to share with you and through you with my lakhs of university and college teacher colleagues spread in various parts of the country—some really remote and far flung— the progress of the functioning of the Pay Review Committee, particularly the range of issues on which the Committee has been dilating with a view to giving the teachers a very ‘decent deal’.

As you are aware, the Pay Review Committee was appointed in the larger context of the VI Central Pay Commission appointed by the Government of India for recommending the revised scales of pay for central government employees. Now that the recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission have finally been accepted and notified by the Government of India, the concern of the university and college teachers about the recommendation of our Pay Review Committee and their implementation is quite understandable and the Pay Review Committee is quite conscious of this concern. The Pay Review Committee, however, also knows that it is only on August 29th and 30th, 2008 that is only about two weeks ago that the final recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission as accepted by the Government of India became available.

A large number of recommendations of Pay Review Committee, particularly those in relation to the revision of scales of pay and pension and other terminal benefits being dependent on those recommendations could not have been discussed and firmed up meaningfully before this. The terms of Reference of our Pay Review Committee, thanks to the farsight of the University Grants Commission, for which the entire Pay Review Committee compliments the UGC, cover practically every single aspect of teachers service and working conditions ranging from pay and allowances to recruitment policy, opportunities for career advancement, availability of infrastructure and related facilities for teaching and research in university and colleges, special needs of women teachers and there work in rural and remote areas. Various kinds of leave facilities admissible to teachers, their academic accountability and the age of retirement and terminal benefits like pension, provident fund and gratuity. In addition, the Pay Review Committee has also been asked to, look into the anomalies arising out of the implementation of the last Pay Review Committee and suggest redressal for these.

To identify these issues which related to over 200 universities and over 6000 colleges affiliated to the University Grants Commission was in itself a gigantic task and for this, the Pay Review Committee decided to use a multi pronged methodology that involved interacting with various stakeholders like the Professors, Readers, lecturers—particularly those who have been appointed recently—in both universities and colleges, the Directors of Physical Education, Librarians, Vice Chancellors and various teachers’ Associations and Federations. Also consulted were Eminent Educationists, Public Persons, Ministers of Education in various states and Educations Secretaries and Directors of Public Instruction. Also, special questionnaires were devised—one for universities and another for colleges—which were sent to over 200 universities and 6000 colleges for eliciting information regarding diverse issues and the those general conditions relating to higher education that has a direct bearing on teachers’ service and working conditions.

The Pay Review Committee has also received nearly five hundred representations and memoranda from individuals, institutions and teachers’ associations and federations which too have been scrutinized carefully to know about the concerns and aspirations of the teaching community in universities and colleges. Having done this—which as you can appreciate was a formidable task in itself—the Pay Review Committee has held a series of meetings—some lasting over several days-to discuss and arrive at a consensus about various issues. In fact, we have just finished one such significant meeting that started yesterday morning and I am glad to share with you the fact that the members of the Pay Review Committee present here with me this afternoon have arrived at significant decision about these issues that can be divided into the following broad categories:

 Revised structure of Pay and allowances for various categories of teachers, D.P.Es and Librarians

 Pension and other related benefits for social security of teachers, including the age of retirement and reemployment of teachers.

 The quantum of Central government financial assistance to states for implementing these recommendations of the Pay Review Committee

 A uniform date and manner of implementation of the recommendations throughout the country

 Recruitment policy and eligibility conditions for various categories of teachers and Principals of colleges.

 Opportunities for promotion under Career Advancement Scheme of both university and college teachers.

 Infrastructure and other support facilities for improving the quality of teaching and research.

 Teaching work load and academic accountability of teachers.

 Residual anomalies from the last Pay Review Committee and their redressal.

Each of these broad categories and many more issues were further subdivided into more focussed issues, including some of which are entirely new and innovative and are being considered for the first time to attract and retain talent in the field of higher education. Again these range from a better financial package to providing better academic environment for teaching and research.

1. Pay and Allowances These include, among others-- (a) The possibilities of granting some additional incentives at the entry level, some kind of academic allowance or allowance for working in remote and inaccessible areas, etc. (b) Questions relating to pay fixation and stagnation

2. Pension and other related benefits… These include, among others— (a) the question of invoking a uniform policy about the age of retirement and reemployment of teachers, to rid India’s higher education sector of the existing unhealthy inter regional disparities in this regard. (b) Exploring the possibility of extending benefits like medical and general group insurance to all university and college teachers.

3. The Quantum of financial assistance… These include the most crucial questions, among others— a. How much assistance should the central government extend to states for a smooth implementation of the recommendations of the Pay Review Committee. b. The period for which such assistance needs to be extended to the states. c. Incentives that could be given to states for successful implementation of the entire package of recommendations of the Pay Review Committee.

4. The Date and manner of implementation… The issues under this broad category include, among others--- (a) 01-01-2006 to be the date from which the recommendations of the Pay Review Committee should be implemented throughout the country. (b) The manner in which it should be implemented so that benefits can be derived uniformally by all teachers without inter regional or inter- institutional deviations.

5. Recruitment policy… The issues include, among others, a) How to extend better financial and otherincentives to attract and retain better talent in the field of teaching in higher education, particularly at the entry level. b) How new categories of teaching position need to be created to make the profession of teaching more attractive. c) How and means can be devised to give a better financial deal to those who are working as contract teachers and guest faculty.

6. Opportunities for Career Advancement of teachers in both universities and colleges… This is one of the most crucial issues before the Pay Review Committee. It includes, among others, a) The manner in which the CAS can be made more teacher friendly especially in terms of creating more opportunities. The need for a third promotion for college teachers is engaging our attention in particular. b) To look into the present conditions of eligibility and selection processes and suggest ways and means of making it more expeditions.

7. Infrastructure and other facilities… This category of issues includes, among others, a) examining the existing infrastructure and support facilities for teaching and research, particularly in colleges and recommendations for their upgradation. b) To explore ways and means for providing some seed money to teachers both in universities and colleges for promoting research.

8. Teaching workload... a) The issue of workload and academic accountability of teachers includes whether the classroom teaching load of teachers needs to be revisited b) What kind of criteria need to be evolved for effective, transparent assessment of teachers’ work.

9. Anomalies from the previous…

One of the most challenging tasks before the Pay Review Committee has been to look at the anomalies of the previous Pay Review Committee and suggest redressal for some of most glaring ones. The total number of issues –some of them most crucial for the future of higher education and economic development of India –runs into no fewer than 100 odd issues. I am glad to say that a consensus on all issues has been reached in a series of meetings, including those held yesterday and today.

I can only say with utmost sincerity that the recommendations would give my fellow teachers more than what any rational thinker would call ‘a very decent’ deal.

This committee has deliberated on issues connected with higher education in a socio-economic and cultural milieu qualitatively so much different from what it was a decade ago, particularly in view of the demands of new global challenges in the higher education sector especially at the level of college education. It needs to be asserted that at the present juncture we have to think the best for the teaching profession vis-à-vis corporate sector and civil services. The committee is fully conscious of the criticality of time for the report to reach its final destination. That is why we have been working very hard to ensure that what is due to the teaching committee as a result of pay scales and improved working conditions should not come to them even a day later.

MANUUTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS – 2008-09

Following is the list of Executive Committee Members elected/nominated by various Departments/Centres/Directorates as representatives to MANUUTA for the year 2008-09:

1. Dr. M. Naseemuddin Faris (Urdu )
2. Dr. Shagufta Shaheen (English )
3. Dr. N.I.Mulla (DDE )
4. Mr. Salil Kader (DDE)
5. Mr. Javid A Wani (DDE)
6. Dr. Mahmood Alam (Education & Training)
7. Mr. D Vishwa Prasad (Education & Training)
8. Dr. Farha Deeba Bazmi (Education & Training)
9. Mr. Athar Hussain (Education & Training)
10. Mr. Misbahul Anzar (CPDUMT)
11. Dr. Mohd. Abdul Azeem (Commerce & Business Mgmt)
12. Mr. Shahnaz Basheer (Mass Comm.& Journalism)
13. Mr. M.Abdul Muqsit Khan (CS & IT)
14. Mr. M Junaid Zakir (Translation)
15. Dr. Shahida (DWE)
16. Dr. Syed Najiullah (Pol. Science & Pub. Admn)
17. Dr. G V Ratnakar (Hindi)
18. Dr. Syed Alim Ashraf (Arabic)
19. Dr. Ishtiyaq Ahmed (Academic Staff College )
20. Mr. Md. Shahid Raza (Social Work )
21. Dr. Shahid Naukhez (Persian)
22. Dr. P H Mohammad (CSSEIP )

Bookstores tell a tale of dying Urdu

HYDERABAD: Sayed Nizamuddin, an adept bookseller is quick to offer any book on demand to his customer from the lakhs of latest books on business, science, engineering or English fiction. But to locate the Urdu stories of Alif Laila, Ali Baba Chalis Chor, Sindabad Jahazi, Akbar Birbal Ke Latife (jokes), Ghalib Ki Shayari and Razia Begum's biography he struggles hard amidst the heap of dusty and buried books. Another shopkeeper, Anwarahullah Ansari too has a blank look when asked for the once revered novels such as Saleem Ke Zakhm by Noshaba Sadiqui or Chilman Chilman Teri Dazzali by Dheeba Khanam, while the bookstore placard "Ansari Book Stall: All latest competitive general and fiction books available" stares at the customer. The buried and lost books amongst the heap are symbolic of the status of Urdu language in the city.

The city has had Urdu as its official language but the demand for Urdu language is witnessing a sharp decline. From students opting for Urdu medium to the availability of Urdu books, Urdu has largely been marginalised to the Old City. With sales dipping, Urdu literature and poetry that was an addiction earlier, is becoming a rare sight. Though these books are fast disappearing from the shelves of most bookstores, a few do save space for Urdu books, in the form of school textbooks or religious texts. Mohammad Javed, manager of Himalaya Book World says, "Although there is a great fervour for Urdu books, it is largely for religious books like the teachings of Prophet Mohammad, Noorani Ratein, Noorani Salaam and Yassarnal Quran. Mazhabi Kitabein (religious books) sell a lot and it's a good business."

While some shopkeepers are happy and satisfied with the rising sale of religious books, there are others who believe that there is much more to Urdu language than religious texts. "There are a large number of Urdu books, from fascinating fairy tales and magical stories to absorbing shayari by great writers to thought provoking novels. Why is Urdu script associated with religious texts only," asks M Q Farooqi, the 60-year-old Nuh Book Stall owner and a great lover of Urdu books who nostalgically slips a decade back to remember the craze Urdu magazines like Sadabahar , Sadrang and Hazaarrang would generate. While some shopkeepers due to their lost love for the language still manage to dig the tales of 'Alauddin aur Jaduyee Chirag,' 'Rustam wa Sohrab' and 'Tipu Sultan' and Sher Shah Suri's biographies, their numbers are restricted to only a few and mostly pushed to the vicinity of Old City. The reasons for Urdu scripts fast disappearing from Hyderabad's bookshelves are many. Farooqi says, "Today Urdu no longer provides the economic advantage. Unlike English, Hindi or regional languages, studying in a Urdu medium does not give an edge while seeking employment."

Popular bookstores predictably see no reason to stock them. "We have seven stores in the city, with each having a collection of over a lakh books but we don't have a collection of Urdu books as they are not much in demand," says Tayyab, a staff member of Universal Book Store. Booksellers note they stock books in English and Telugu as Urdu books are neither in fashion nor in demand. Md Azhar adds, "With fast paced technology, the other mediums of entertainment have taken over and the interest in Urdu fiction is fast subsiding due to coming of other popular sources of entertainment such as TV and multiplexes. The feel and interest for the Urdu language is missing."

However, there are some who are optimistic of its revival phase. Ali Zaheer, a consultant in National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language says: "There needs to be proper outlets for promotion of Urdu books. During exhibitions there is a huge sale of all sorts of Urdu books which proves that there is a huge demand for Urdu books among people. The only thing is that they should be made more accessible. Also, if Urdu writers are given more respect and their due royalty, this language would flourish."

The renaissance of Urdu

A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE TAKING UP COURSES IN URDU LANGUAGE FOR THE BEAUTY AND POWER IT. NIKITA GOUD REPORTS in The Times of India (Education Times) Hyderabad Edition, 15th September 2008

Despite the growing popularity of western languages in our country, Urdu, the lingua franca of India, has retained its charm. More and more organisations and universities are working towards the progress of Urdu as a language and Urdu literature. Its beauty has appealed even to the westerners who are now taking to the language. "Urdu is not a language that ends in India or Pakistan.With its rich culture and beauty it has crossed borders.We have research scholars coming from all over the world to do their advanced research in Urdu literature," says Syed Rafiuddin Quadri, Incharge secretary, Aiwan-e-Urdu, Hyderabad.

There are several universities and organisations in Hyderabad that offer courses in Urdu. One such organisation is 'Idara-e-adabiyat-e-Urdu' with over 218 centres in Andhra Pradesh alone.They conduct classes and examinations at different levels.This organisation was started with an aim to promote Urdu literature. Alongside coaching centers, they also have libraries housing a huge collection of books and offer museum facilities.

Though there has been a tremendous drop in the number of students enrolling for these courses, each year, the Urdu experts predict a positive change in the near future, as several youngsters, today, are opting to learn the language. "I always wanted to learn a new language and the obvious choices seemed to be French, Spanish or German. It was after I watched the movie 'Jodha Akbar' that I decided to take up Urdu for its beauty and power. It did seem a little unconventional, but, so great was its appeal that I couldn't help but decide against all other options," says Sameer, a software professional, who is now doing a course for beginners in Urdu.

With Urdu dominating the Bollywood film and music industry, there are several opportunities for Urdu scholars with a flair for poetry and writing, to make it big in the industry. "There is always a dearth of talent in our ever growing film industry. Most of our students who take up Urdu seriously, do so with an aim of getting into the industry as script writers, dialogue writers and lyricists," says Syed Moin Uddin Ahmed, a retired Urdu professor. The options do not end there.With the increasing popularity of Urdu in India and abroad, there are several job opportunities for proficient Urdu scholars in the teaching stream. "Many of our students have touched great heights.They make a great living out of teaching Urdu in Western countries and in India," adds Syed Rafiuddin Quadri, Incharge Secretary, Aiwan-e-Urdu.

There are also, other organisations like Siyasat, which have come up with various programs to teach Urdu.They offer courses in spoken Urdu as well and encourage people from all backgrounds and cultures to be a part of these programs. Urdu, they believe, is not a language of the Muslims or of people belonging to any particular religion or region, but, a language of the common man that took birth in India during the Muslim reign and considered a symbol of fraternity.

For the purists, who don't just believe in the progress of Urdu as a language but also in Urdu as a medium of Education, there are universities like the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Gachibowli. They offer BA, BCom, BSc, polytechnic, BEd, MEd and DEd courses.They also conduct UPSC civil services APPSC group I and II examinations. Anyone who has qualified the 'fazil' examination or its equivalent from a recognised university is eligible to apply for the bachelors program. Students who complete any of these courses successfully are eligible to apply for several central and state government jobs in the police force, military, civil services, education department etc.

However, experts complain that the importance being given to English language has discouraged many youngsters from choosing Urdu as their medium of education. When asked about the measures to be taken to conserve Urdu, Prof Qutub Khan says, "Hyderabad, being the city of Nawabs, has always had a rich Urdu influence. It is our privilege and duty as Hyderabadis to retain the popularity of Urdu and to work towards the progress of its rich literature."

Doctor’ing honorary degrees for the nation

‘By R A J R I S H I S I N G H A L
Economic Times, Hyderabad. 15th September 2008

ACADEMICS and eggheads are often the subject of derision and the inspiration for many a gag. A passenger once fainted on the deck of a Mediterranean liner (this is long before the modern version of cruise holidays). The officer on duty immediately shouted: “Is there a doctor on board?” Instantly, four people rushed ahead, but on seeing the patient shook their heads and wished to be excused. They were doctors all right, but none of them had the requisite medical education. The truth is they were actually doctorates, thereby earning the right to be called a ‘doctor’, but without the obligation of practising medicine.

Many newspapers across the world have this policy of never using the honorific ‘doctor’ for a person unless he is a qualified medical practitioner. But, humans have this sneaking admiration for people from the medical profession. The desire to be addressed as a doctor runs high among people across the world. It is believed that late gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson, who received an honorary doctorate from the Universal Life Church, often insisted on being addressed as a doctor. And, wherever there’s an unfulfilled human desire, a market always springs up around it, to fill that felt need.

In India too, the desire to earn a doctorate degree runs very high. In the first rush, it was more out of compulsion than fashion. Initially, in the ’60s and ’70s decades, many pure science and arts graduates went on to do their doctorate degrees because it was better than searching for a job in a non-existent employment market. The economy was moving slower than a tortoise and a stipend earned while pursuing a doctorate provided some degree of cash flow certainty. Over the years, the number of PhDs in the country soared but the fascination with the degree has still remained.

Politicians have routinely been recipients of honorary DLitt degrees in India. For example, Sonia Gandhi, K Karunanidhi and prime minister Manmohan Singh recently received honorary doctorates from the University of Madras. Only last year, minister Arjun Singh received an honorary degree from the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. President Pratibha Patil has been conferred one by Lucknow University. Rail minister and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav got his from Patna University. Surprisingly, universities abroad have always courted controversy when honouring politicians. Oxford University broke with convention — awarding PMs who were Oxford graduates — when the faculty voted against awarding Margaret Thatcher because of her funding cuts for higher education. Many students boycotted the commencement ceremony when George Bush was honoured by Yale University. Interestingly, the administrations of the University of Edinburgh and Massachusetts University at Amherst had to strip Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe of his honorary degrees over the past one year, under pressure from protesting students.

The trend of honorary degrees is not restricted to politicians. Industrialist and chairman-emeritus RPG Group, RP Goenka, received his DLitt from Rajasthan University, late K K Birla got one from Pondicherry University while his grand-nephew Kumar Mangalam Birla was recently honoured with one from Banaras Hindu University, and Ratan Tata got his from the Indian Institute of Technology. The trend has touched even Bollywood — film producer Yash Chopra and singer Lata Mangeshkar are both proud recipients of honorary degrees. Indian universities have also routinely honoured foreign premiers and leaders. Delhi University recently awarded British prime minister Gordon Brown with an honorary doctorate.

But for the rest of the country, it’s a pretty hard grind. For instance, five universities in Tamil Nadu have framed rules that candidates must have minimum 10 years of post-doctoral work, plus compulsory publishing, before they can even be considered for a DSc. The rules for PhD are even stranger. To ensure a minimum quality of academic rigour, most doctorate programmes now require a minimum cut-off at the Masters level. But, given the vastly varying standards across universities, the number of candidates eligible for admission into a doctoral programme virtually constitutes an army. Consequently, for the major part, a PhD programme has become a safe harbour for those without a job or those who want to keep trying incessantly for a civil services job. There is, of course, some quality research being pursued, but it’s really scarce and localised in a handful of universities.

There’s an interesting story about this university town in Germany. Whenever the train stopped there, the conductor would walk up and the down the aisle shouting: “We’re stopping for 30 minutes. Go get your doctorate degrees.” The town was famous for handing out Doctor of Divinity degrees, literally over-the-counter, to anyone who cared to pay. This pay-per-degree business model holds out excellent promise, especially in India. But the degree needs a new name in India. How about Dopy — Doctor of Opportunity?

UGC’s pay panel promises radical changes in proposals

Economic Times, HYDERABAD, 15th September 2008

MUCH to the chagrin of the UPA government, the University Grants Commission’ pay review committee is unable to “estimate” how much more time it will require to finalise its recommendations. The Pay Review Committee, headed by Prof GK Chadha, was supposed to submit its report on September 5. The ministry of human resource development has given it a month’s extension, but Prof Chadha is unwilling to commit himself to a public deadline. The UPA government would like to wrap up the pay review before elections are announced. College and university teachers are an important electoral constituency and the government would rather give them the expected pay-hike in time so that it can reap electoral dividends.

However, the Chadha Committee does promise “radical” changes which will help the Indian higher education sector meet the socio-economic and cultural challenges in the era of globalisation. Even as Prof Chadha is unwilling to make public a deadline, he says that the committee will take “no longer than is necessary”. He also promises radical changes in the report. Among reasons the chairman has cited for the delay are some three or four issues on which consensus has yet to emerge. These include changes in the “layers” of the faculty at the college and university levels — the choice is to continue with the current gradation from lecturer to reader to professor or to introduce new levels. Prof Chadha said that should changes be introduced, suitable time scales will also have to be introduced.

Other unresolved issues include whether the UGC pay committee should replicate the central pay commissions system of grade pay and pay bands and the manner in which to resolve the anomalies of the previous committee, that is the Rastogi Committee, recommendations.

Another area that the committee members feel requires more attention is the manner in which stagnation of college and university professors can be addressed. At present, it seen that often college professors achieve the top of their scale and then continue to remain there without any possibilities of advancement. Former IISc director Prof G Padmanaban, who is member of the committee, said that there was a strong view within the panel that no teacher should suffer from stagnation. Now the committee needs to work out a way to compensate these members of the teaching community, and to do so they will need to find parallels within the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation.

In light of the vast higher education expansion plans of the government, the committee has suggested a uniform retirement age of 65 years across the country. At present, there is a “great discrepancy” in the retirement age that ranges from 55 years to 65 years. “We are in a situation when availability of teaching faculty is critical to the government’s plans. This issue can be addressed to some measure through a retirement age that is uniformly set across the entire higher education system,” Prof Chadha said.

But it is not just about a longer lien for existing members of the faculty. Prof Chadha said that at the entry level, the higher education sector is competing with the corporate sector and civil services for the best minds. “We need to offer an attractive package. While we can’t compete with the corporate sector, it should be such that 10 years down the road, the academic has no regrets.” Stating that the choice was clear, Prof Chadha said, “We can’t give the red carpet welcome but we can provision a decent living condition.” The effort to attract the best minds to join the academic circuit will include “unprecedented financial support” and improved research facilities. Clearly indicating that the entry and exit in the colleges and universities are not parallels or replicas, the committee chairman said that given the expansion plan of the government, efforts will be required at all ends.

Recommendations will also deal with issues like new categories of teaching positions to attract people at a mid-career level. The committee proposes to tackle head on the whole system of ‘contract teaching’ whereby many faculty members are retained at lower salaries without any permanent status. The UGC has in the past tried to tackle this issue. the pay committee hopes to deal with the “horrifying situation of contract or guest lecturers” in an institutional manner.

The committee is also addressing contentious issues like teaching workloads, where not only will hours of work be suggested but also hours of involvement in the institution. Another thorny issue that will be tackled is that of assessment, there is some talk of student and peer assessment of teachers.

MANUUTA - First Elections

The first ever elections of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University Teachers' Association (MANUUTA) were held on 6th September 2008. The results were declared on 8th September 2008. The first elected body of MANUUTA is as follows:

President : Prof. S.A. Wahab 'Qaiser' [DDE]

Vice President: Dr. Tarique A Masoodi [Education and Training]

General Secretary: Dr. Abdul Qauyum [Public Administration]

Treasurer: Dr. Farida Siddiqui [CSSEIP]

Joint Secretary (Organising): Dr. Salma A Farooqui [DDE]

Joint Secretary (Publicity): Mr. Ashwani [DDE]

Here is wishing the new body all the very best!