Hefty pay hike for teachers Manash Pratim Gohain | TNN New Delhi: For the first time ever, undergraduate and postgraduate colleges will have the post of professors. And, the good news for agitating teachers is that the ministry of human resource development has done away with the additional hierarchy as proposed by the UGC Pay Review Committee (PRC). Now, there will only be three designations for teachers in university system — assistant professor, associate professor and professors. According to revised pay scales and service conditions for teachers in universities and colleges, passed by the Cabinet and placed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, in place of ‘grade pay’ as applicable to central government employees, the term ‘academic grade pay’ (AGP) will be used for teachers and equivalent positions. Different grade pay of Rs 6,000, Rs 7,000, Rs 8,000, Rs 9,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000 have been approved as AGP for teachers of equivalent positions. As per revised pay package, higher AGP of Rs 6,000 has been recommended for all assistant professors at the entry level so as to make it more attractive compared to the entry level grade pay for civil services and other professionals under the 6th Central Pay Commission. And 10% of posts of professors in universities will be in higher AGP of Rs 12,000 with prescribed eligibility conditions. Under revised pay scheme, assistant professors have been placed in pay band of Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100 entering the AGP of Rs 6,000. A teacher with a PhD degree can move from the post of assistant professor to associate professor after completion of 12 years of service as assistant professor, spending four years at the AGP of Rs 6,000, five years at the AGP of Rs 7,000 and three years at the AGP of Rs 8,000. Teachers with MPhil and those with a post graduate degree in professional course entering as assistant professors can become associate professor after 13 years of service. The associate professor has been placed in the pay band of Rs 37,400 to Rs 67,000 with grade pay of Rs 9,000. While under the existing scheme teachers without PhD could rise up to the post of lecturer, they can now go up to the level of associate professor. A teacher who puts in 10 years as professor will be eligible to be considered against 10% of the posts in the higher AGP of Rs 12,000.