With this, the State Higher Education Department has done away with recruiting those with MPhil as lecturers in colleges. All those who have been recruited as lecturers after July 11 should secure the required qualification. The UGC pay scale will not apply to these lecturers (those recruited after July 11) till they get the stipulated qualification, said Higher Education Minister Aravind Limbavali.

Besides, the government has made it mandatory for one to have a PhD through course work to become a professor, as per the UGC norm. Under the course work, a thesis will be evaluated by an external committee that the UGC will appoint before the awarding of PhD, he added.

An order is also issued to increase the age limit for retirement from 60 to 62 years applicable to the university teaching staff with effect from September 25, 2009. The Higher Education Department has classified the teaching staff into three new categories: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor.

Thus, the existing classification of lecturer and senior lecturer would go.

It’s bonanza time

The State government has issued an order sanctioning the UGC pay scale to lecturers with effect from January 1, 2006. This will result in an increase in salary of lecturers by 38 per cent. The total arrears will be Rs 1,000 crore. Both the Centre and the State governments will share the burden of 51 months’ arrears towards payment of salary on the basis of 80:20 ratio, Limbavali said.

From April 1, 2010, the State government will bear the entire burden owing to increase in salary. The government’s move to give the UGC pay scale will benefit nearly 11,300 lecturers, he added.