UGC pay scales turn out to be demanding for college teachers

College teachers in Gujarat will now have to face longer working hours, do more research work and spend more time on academic matters. From now on, as the teachers will enjoy a fat pay packet according to University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales, they also have to abide by some additional provisions.  

UGC has come up with clearly defined rules for college teachers to work longer and also dedicate more time to academic and administrative matters. Going by the rules, the teachers will have to stick on to a 40-hour work schedule every week, at least five hours in college daily. There is no breather for teachers either as the state education department is committed to guarantee that the new norms are strictly adhered to. 
 
State education department officials are particularly not pleased by many teachers who earn hefty amounts by teaching at private tuition classes. Besides more earnings, teachers only give three hours daily or even less at the institutions, said state education department officials. Once UGC pay scale comes into effect, all this indiscipline will stop.  
 
According to UGC rules, college teachers should have at least 180 days or 13 weeks of attendance and academic classes. Despite such a norm in place, no adherence to this norm is seen in practice. From now on, each teacher will have to spend 16 to 18 hours every week in classrooms. 
 
The current UGC norms makes it a binding on teachers to utilize the remaining 24 of the 40 hours in taking exams, correcting exam papers and other vital co-curricular activities. For promotion, research work is now compulsory.
Without a PhD degree, teachers will not be able to get promotion from assistant professor to professor level. 
 
Officials of the education department also assert that research is an essential part of work as per UGC norms and teachers will have to attend national and international conferences and present research papers there.