Punjabi varsity raises pay of contractual staff, instructors

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 9

Punjabi University in its Syndicate meeting on Tuesday decided to increase the salaries of contractual professors, instructors in constituent colleges and outsourced employees.

The meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held at syndicate hall, took place at the university’s guest house as the Vice-Chancellor’s office remained locked over protest by members of the Democratic Students’ Organisation (DSO). They were demanding 24x7 opening of girls’ hostels. 

The syndicate, meanwhile, decided to increase the salaries of assistant professors and instructors working in various constituent colleges from Rs 21,600 to Rs 30,000 and from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,500 per month, respectively. They also raised the salaries of all outsourced employees working in the university for the past five years by Rs 1,000 per month. Officials said they would convert them to daily wage employees and absorb them into the university system after proper screening and verification.

The syndicate also approved signing of a number of Memorandums of Understanding with Canadian universities, including University of North British Columbia, University of Fraser Valley and others.

Harinderpal Singh Maan, Major AP Singh, Registrar Manjit Singh Nijjar and Dean, Academic Affairs, GS Batra, also attended the meeting.

Issues that weren’t taken up during the meeting

The university officials, however, failed to discuss matters concerning hiring of ineligible teachers in the university, appointment of teachers with fake SC/BC certificates, misappropriation in paper purchase, answer sheet purchase, purchase of software for examination department and a few other issues that were investigated by a two-member committee of retired IAS and IPS officials this year. Vice-Chancellor BS Ghuman had, in August, said they would take up the matter in the Syndicate meeting.

Contractual teachers gherao officials

Teachers under the banner of the Punjabi University Contractual Teachers' Association (PUCTA), gheraoed officials and Syndicate members after the meeting. They even barged into the university guest house and held a protest there. While talking to the protesting teachers, university officials said they would now hold syndicate meetings on a monthly basis. They said they would decide on full pay scale (basic pay plus daily allowance) to contractual employees in the next meeting.

Students boycott classes

Students of the physical education department boycotted classes, demanding action against the DSO members for allegedly having "misbehaved" with the head of the department, Nishan Singh Deol. Responding to the matter, Deol said, “I am out of station and have learned that students of our department boycotted classes. It is clear from the video that I had not held the girl's neck, rather she grabbed my neck. I was just helping the VC in exiting the place, while students tried to block his way around 2.30 am on October 8.”