HPU teachers’ body demands extension of retirement age

The Himachal Pradesh University Teachers’ Association (HPUTA) has demanded the Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, to extend the retirement age of university teachers from 60 to 65 on the lines of University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines that are followed by all other universities of the country. The association also demanded the immediate fulfillment of pending promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), as stipulated in the UGC Regulations of 2018. The demand was raised by a delegation of the association that met the Vice-Chancellor here today.

Dr MS Thakur, president, HPUTA, said, “While HP University has implemented UGC guidelines for recruitment and promotion, its retirement age policies still follow the state government’s regulations, rather than UGC recommendations,” he said.

He also said that this discrepancy puts HP University’s faculty at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in central universities, IITs, NITs, and other state universities, which adhere to UGC’s retirement age of 65.

He pointed out discrepancies in other educational institutions in the state, such as Atal Medical and Research University (retirement age 65) and Himachal Pradesh Technical University (retirement age 62). “This highlights the inconsistency in retirement policies at state universities,” he added.

“We have urged the administration to reconsider the current retirement age,” said Dr Thakur.