Professors from various universities on Wednesday described a government directive to higher educational institutions (HEIs) to withdraw incentives for MPhil and PhD degrees as illegal and detrimental to attracting talent to the teaching profession.
Several colleges under Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University and Ambedkar University Delhi have begun revising the salaries of faculty members after withdrawing incentives for research degrees. Daulat Ram College has even started recovering the incentive amounts paid to the faculty members.
The incentives were started in 2010 after the University Grants Commission (UGC) notified rules on teachers' appointments providing for five increments, amounting to 15 per cent of the basic salary, at the time of appointment of candidates with PhDs as faculty in colleges and universities.
If a faculty member takes study leave and gets a PhD, the institution gives three increments. MPhil holders get three increments at the time of recruitment and one more increment for acquiring MPhil while in service.
An order issued by the ministry of human resource development, now the ministry of education, in 2017 advocated discontinuation of such benefits. The government said faculty members with PhDs and MPhils get relaxation in experience criteria for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor, therefore these extra benefits were not required.
The order was not implemented by the institutions because the UGC's revised regulations on appointments in 2018 continued with these benefits.
However, the UGC in February this year issued a letter to the central universities asking them to discontinue the incentives to avoid any audit objections. The HEIs are currently implementing the directive.
Surajit Mazumdar, president of the Federation of Central University Teachers' Associations (FedCUTA), said the incentives were started to attract talent in teaching, which produces professionals to guide all other professions. A student invests two to six years for MPhil and PhD.
"If the benefit is withdrawn, the signal is that you do not pursue PhD and you look for professions other than teaching. So talents will go to other professions and the teaching profession will suffer," he said.