Latest news with #CareerAdvancementScheme
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Union slams T.N. govt. decision to move Supreme Court on career advancement scheme for guest lecturers
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has expressed concern over the actions by the Directorate of Collegiate Education on the implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for faculty of aided colleges. In an official release, AUT general secretary K. Raja said: 'On one hand, the Commissioner of Collegiate Education issued a letter on June 9, instructing all Regional Joint Directors to urgently submit updated CAS-related data of eligible teachers by June 10. This communication clearly signalled the Government's affirmative intention to proceed with the long-overdue CAS promotions with monetary benefits, offering hope and justice to thousands of eligible teachers in aided colleges. 'Surprisingly, in a completely contradictory move, a communication dated June 16 addressed to A. Muraliraj, assistant professor of Mathematics, Urumu Dhanalakshmi College, Tiruchi, reveals that the government has chosen to challenge a favourable High Court judgment in the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) with a motive to deny CAS monetary benefits due to the teachers. This action directly undermines the rightful claims of teachers, seeking career progression and represents a serious breach of trust.' The association demanded immediate withdrawal of the SLP and urged the authorities to honour the High Court verdict. 'The Career Advancement Scheme is a statutory right, not a privilege. Any attempt to delay or deny this right adversely affects the morale, dignity, and academic integrity of the teaching community,' the release said.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
MUFA members stage sit-in protest at MKU demanding promotions
Members of Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association (MUFA) staged a sit-in protest on the premises of Madurai Kamaraj University here on Wednesday urging the State government to immediately process promotions for eligible lecturers in the university. C. Muniyandi, general secretary, MUFA, who headed the protest, said about 100 lecturers, 85 assistant professors and 15 associate professors were yet to receive their promotion orders despite their eligibility and participation in the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) process held in February and March 2024. Not only the delay in approving the promotions for a large number of faculties in the university was against their rights, it would also eventually affect the education of the students as the teachers would get dejected, he added. When the promotions were issued on time on the date of the order, the associate professors would have been promoted to professors by this time and they could have been eligible to receive several funds for their respective departments, he noted. Due to the delay, two associate professors retired before getting their due promotion, he alleged. 'When we took the issue to the Department of Higher Education, we were informed that due to audit objections pending in the university, the promotion orders could not be issued to the eligible lecturers,' he added. Questioning the rationale behind stopping promotions for the audit objections, Mr. Muniyandi said audit objections were matters of revenue and expenditure of the institution. He asked whether admissions of students be stopped in the current academic year owing to the audit objections. Also, when the promotions were not given on time, the ceiling for the lecturers for the intake of research scholars would be affected, he noted. Following the protest, Mr. Muniyandi said, their promotion orders were signed by one of the convenor committee members and were forwarded to the Department of Collegiate Education for further approval. As they welcomed the move, MUFA members wanted the process to be expedited to curb any further delay in enjoying their rights.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
MUFA blames ‘lethargic attitude' of administration for delay in disbursal of salary and pension
Faculty members and pensioners of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) staged a protest on the university premises here on Thursday, demanding disbursal of their salaries and pensions, as well as approval of long pending promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). The demonstration, organised by the Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association (MUFA), condemned the delay in salary payments and the prolonged inaction by the Higher Education Department regarding faculty promotions. The MKU Pensioners Association also joined the protest, voicing concern over non-payment of pensions for the month of May. C. Muniyandi, General Secretary of MUFA, stated that the promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor has been stalled, affecting 85 faculty members. MKU Pensioners Association president A. Srinivasan said the issue dated back to November 2021, with regular delays in salary and pension payments. 'A total of 1,180 people are affected, including 438 family pensioners. Among them, seven are over 90 years old. For senior citizens, who are physically and mentally weak, delays in pension disbursal cause immense hardship,' he said. Mr. Srinivasan attributed the crisis to what he described as the 'lethargic attitude' of the university administration and expressed disappointment that neither the government nor officials were taking the issue seriously.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
MUFA demands promotion orders for MKU lecturers
Madurai Kamaraj University Faculty Association has appealed to the State government to immediately process the promotion for the eligible lecturers in the university. C. Muniyandi, general secretary, MUFA, said that about 100 lecturers, 85 assistant professors and 15 associate professors, were yet to receive their promotion orders despite their eligibility and participation in the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) process held in February and March 2024. The non-receipt of promotions by a significant number of faculty members despite their eligibility and participation in the due process was against their employment, he added. When the promotions were issued on time on the date of the order, the associate professors would have been promoted to professors by this time and they could have been eligible to receive several funds for their respective departments, he noted. 'In addition to the monetary perks of promotions, on the academic part, only professors are granted specific grants and projects from renowned institutions like the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),' he stated. Only when the departments received grants for projects would the university regain the lost recognition, Mr. Muniyandi said. 'Once we represented the issue to the Department of Higher Education, we were informed that due to audit objections pending in the university, the promotions could not be issued to the eligible lecturers,' he added. Questioning the rationale behind stopping promotions for the audit objections, Mr. Muniyandi noted that audit objections were matters of revenue and expenditure of the institution. He asked whether admissions of students be stopped in the current academic year owing to the audit objections. Also, when the promotions were not given on time, the ceiling for the lecturers for the intake of research scholars would be affected, he noted. When a professor could guide eight research scholars, an associate professor could guide only six scholars at a time. When the delay in promotions stops the staff from taking in more scholars, would the scholars' life be not wasted who would be waiting for a guide for their research, he asked. He stated that the promotion process was not merely a matter of administrative procedure but a crucial step towards ensuring equity, justice and inclusivity in academia.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chancellor annuls Kerala University Syndicate's promotion decision
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who also serves as the Chancellor of Kerala University, annulled a Syndicate decision to promote S. Nazeeb, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kerala Studies. Dr. Nazeeb, who is also a Syndicate member, is the general secretary of the Left-leaning Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA). An order issued by the Kerala Raj Bhavan found the decision to be in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms. The Syndicate had accepted Dr. Nazeeb's petition to have his nearly-18 month period of contract service at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit counted towards his Career Advancement Scheme as 'past service' for promotion as Associate Professor. The decision was made despite the opposition from Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) Mohanan Kunnummal. A recent meeting of the Syndicate, convened to discuss a show-cause notice issued by the Chancellor on the issue, also maintained that there was no need to review its decision. The CPI(M)-backed members reportedly rejected the Chancellor's observations regarding the decision. The particular issue has been a bone of contention that has escalated tensions between the Vice-Chancellor and the Left-backed Syndicate members for several months.
