Panjab University (PU) vice-chancellor (VC) professor Renu Vig has taken up the issue of compliance with UGC regulations, 2018 in privately managed government aided colleges, writing separately to the finance secretary and the education secretary of the Chandigarh administration to seek stricter enforcement of the statutory norms.
The VC emphasised that the UGC regulations governing minimum qualifications, service conditions, promotions and pay structures of teachers are binding on all institutions receiving government aid. She underlined that aided colleges affiliated with PU are required to implement the regulations uniformly to ensure academic and administrative consistency across the university system.
Vig noted that non-compliance by affiliated aided colleges has resulted in disparities in service conditions among teachers performing comparable academic duties. Such deviations, she pointed out, undermine regulatory discipline and have implications for faculty morale and institutional governance. Further, it was reiterated that PU has adopted the UGC regulations, 2018 in their entirety, making them applicable to all affiliated colleges for appointments, promotions, pay fixation and other service matters. She specifically flagged the need for implementation of the career advancement scheme (CAS) for teachers in aided colleges with effect from July 18, 2018, the date from which the regulations came into force.
The communication also drew attention to the role of the Chandigarh administration, particularly the finance and education departments, in facilitating implementation of the UGC framework. The VC has sought timely administrative intervention to prevent prolonged ambiguity over service conditions of teachers, a situation that has repeatedly led to disputes and litigation in the past.
{{/usCountry}}The communication also drew attention to the role of the Chandigarh administration, particularly the finance and education departments, in facilitating implementation of the UGC framework. The VC has sought timely administrative intervention to prevent prolonged ambiguity over service conditions of teachers, a situation that has repeatedly led to disputes and litigation in the past.
{{/usCountry}}Teacher associations have long flagged uneven implementation of UGC regulations, 2018 in aided colleges, citing delays in CAS promotions, release of admissible allowances such as dearness allowance and house rent allowance, and recognition of past service benefits, despite these colleges receiving up to 95% grant-in-aid from the Central government.
The issue has remained a longstanding point of contention between aided college faculty and the Chandigarh administration, with faculty bodies maintaining that continued non implementation of statutory UGC benefits amounts to selective application of the regulations.