In a significant display of dissent, over 9,000 college teachers in Assam staged protests across various colleges on Thursday, September 5th, the day dedicated to celebrating teachers. The teachers, united under the banner of the Assam College Teachers’ Association (ACTA), boycotted Teacher’s Day celebrations and voiced their grievances against the state government for delaying their promotions and failing to implement revised salary structures on time.
The protests, marked by black badges worn by the teachers and coordinated protest meetings, highlighted the teachers’ dissatisfaction with the state government’s handling of their promotions. ACTA President Jayanta Baruah explained that their boycott stemmed from various issues, including inconsistencies in the date of effect for promotions and an Office Memorandum (OM) issued by the state higher education department on November 8, 2023. This OM, intended to facilitate promotions, was deemed contrary to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, according to ACTA.
Specifically, ACTA demanded that assistant professors whose promotions were due on or before November 7, 2023, but were unable to undergo the required screening process due to unforeseen circumstances, should be allowed to apply for promotions as per the previous OM issued by the UGC on November 13, 2013.
The state higher education department had released a new OM for the Maintenance of Quality Mandate concerning the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) Promotion of Faculty Members, effective from November 8, 2023. While ACTA acknowledged the department’s efforts to improve the quality of education, they expressed concern over certain aspects of the new regulations and demanded immediate action.
ACTA’s memorandum, addressed to Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, highlighted the challenges faced by teachers due to delays in the government’s promotion process. Many teachers, despite their promotion falling due years ago, had not been promoted to the next stage due to bureaucratic delays. This new OM, implemented with immediate effect, would prevent many teachers from fulfilling the PhD requirement for promotion to Associate Professor.
ACTA also urged for a three-year “cooling period” to be implemented for the PhD requirement in connection with promotions to Associate Professor, considering the recent implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NEP, aiming to encourage research in campuses and urging teachers to pursue PhDs, has been met with challenges due to the limited availability of guideships and the lack of adequate Ph.D. seats in state universities.
To address these concerns, ACTA demanded that the number of PhD seats in state universities be increased and at least 20% of the seats be reserved for in-service college teachers. The association also advocated for exemption from the PhD requirement for teachers whose promotions to Associate Professor are overdue due to government delays.
The Annual Performance Appraisal Index (APAI) implemented for Associate Professors was another point of contention. ACTA urged the government to allow teachers to choose a minimum of three out of six quantifiable performance indicators instead of making all six compulsory.
The protests by the Assam College Teachers’ Association serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by educators in achieving equitable and timely promotions, highlighting the need for a streamlined and responsive system that prioritizes the welfare and career advancement of teachers.
