Patna: University teachers will get salary according to the seventh pay commission, chief minister Nitish Kumar announced on Monday during the inauguration of Patliputra University, meeting one of their long-pending demands.

"I have asked education department officials to constitute a committee for preparing the report based on which recommendations for seventh pay commission for university teachers will be made," Nitish said at SK Memorial Hall.

Over the past several months, university teachers have been staging protests for this, but Nitish said they should also focus more on teaching. He said: "I am very concerned about their demand, but the teachers should also be concerned with teaching as the state government is spending nearly 25 per cent of its total budget allocation on the education sector."

The government's decision to implement the seventh pay will benefit nearly 9,000 teachers working in 16 universities in Bihar.

A senior Patna University official said: "The university received a letter from additional secretary Manoj Kumar on July 23 in which the education department asked for the strength of teaching and non-teaching employees since January 1, 2016."

The seventh pay commission recommendations for 23.55 per cent hike in pay and allowances across all sectors are to be implemented from January 1, 2016.

So far as the university teachers are concerned, the new pay brand for assistant professors will be Rs 15,600-39,100, Rs 37,400-67,000 for associate professors (readers) and Rs 67,000-79,000 for professors. #Sources said the starting monthly salary of professors will be Rs 1.44 lakh. The monthly salary of associate professor will rise to Rs 1.26 lakh, and for assistant professors to Rs 59,000.

Patna University Teachers Association president Randhir Kumar Singh said: "We welcome the announcement but the government should implement its decision soon so that the community is benefited. According to the association's earlier announcement, Patna University's teaching and non-teaching employees will go on mass casual leave on August 11."