Since its inception top posts in the department including that of the director, additional director and joint directors have been occupied by teachers, who are in the grade of principal, on the basis of their seniority.

However, the norm may soon be a thing of the past with a high-level committee chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Neeraja Rajkumar taking strong exception to the drawing of teachers on UGC scale, who are on deputation in the department, for administrative work.

At the proceedings of the meeting held on November 15 it was felt that UGC pay scale should be paid only to teachers engaged in teaching duty and not to those who are removed from it.

Meanwhile, as a spin-off to the meeting, Higher Education Principal Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee has written a letter to UGC Secretary Prof Tilak R Khem seeking a clarification on whether teachers should continue to avail themselves of the benefits of UGC pay scale even if they are engaged in non-teaching jobs.

The letter states, “...there is an unhealthy trend wherein the teaching faculty while enjoying the benefits of higher pay scale are lobbying to occupy posts in which no teaching is involved”.

However, teachers feel that one of their basic rights is being snatched away. Apart from teaching, teachers feel their profession has two other dimensions i.e research and education administration.

“These posts should be retained with teachers. Academic experience comes in handy in understanding and solving problems of the student and teaching community. When teachers can be promoted as principals to run the day-to-day administration of colleges, why not allow them to run the department”, observes Prof B S Srikanta, secretary, Federation of Degree College Principals Association in Karnataka.

On UGC payscale to teachers on deputation, he added that the payscale is the privilege of teachers and should be retained. The Collegiate Education Department does not merely deal with service matters, those at the helm of affairs in the department need to have academic leadership, which can be gained only through teaching experience.

Prof K G Lokesh, President, Bangalore University College Teachers Association (BUCTA) said, the association will oppose tooth and nail if teachers are divested of administrative posts.