Muzaffarpur, Jan. 6: Teachers of Rajendra Agriculture University (RAU), Pusa, in Samastipur are miffed over the state’s delay in extending their retirement age from 62 to 65 years.

RAU Teachers’ Association general secretary Mohammad Murtuza said the department of agriculture research and education under the Union agriculture ministry had asked the Bihar government to implement the sixth University Grants Commission (UGC) revised pay structure, along with other service conditions for the teachers of the agriculture universities. The UGC recommendation was meant for other universities as well.

Following the UGC’s suggestion, all universities had to extend the retirement age of teachers to 65 years from 62 years without differentiating between the traditional and the agriculture universities set up in accordance with laws enacted by the state legislature. The state government, vide a letter number 15/D.1-02/2009-2925 of the human resource development department (now education department), extended the retirement age of teachers in traditional universities with effect from June 30, 2010. But the same rule was not followed for the teachers of agriculture universities.

Murtuza requested chief minister Nitish Kumar to instruct education department officials to issue the order at the earliest and ensure that the teachers of the agriculture universities get the same benefit. Federation of University Teachers’ Association of Bihar general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh also extended support to the teachers and appealed to the government to implement the new retirement age norm at the earliest.