Extension in retirement age for teachers of state-run colleges

TT, Feb. 1: The state government has issued an order raising the retirement age of permanent teachers and principals of government-run colleges from 60 to 62.

There are about 65 colleges in Bengal that are run by the higher education department. In Calcutta, such institutions include Maulana Azad College, Bethune College, Lady Brabourne College and the Goenka College of Commerce and Business Management.

The government had on January 27 issued an order raising the retirement age of teachers and principals of the aided colleges to 62.

Mamata Banerjee had promised a series of sops for the teachers of state-aided universities and colleges in Bengal on January 7, one of which was raising the age of retirement from 60 to 62.

The chief minister's announcement had implied that the revised age would be applicable to the teachers and principals in both categories of colleges - state-aided and state-run.

But the January 27 order had made it clear that it was meant only for the teachers and principals of state-aided colleges. The government had said a separate order would be issued for the government-run institutions.

The order issued yesterday evening has brought relief to over 2,500 faculty members in the state-run colleges, said Debasis Sarkar, the principal of Chandernagore College and a leader of the West Bengal Government College Teachers' Association.

"There was confusion among the government teachers as several of them who would turn 60 by January 31 would not have been able to enjoy the benefit had the order not been issued by Tuesday evening. We are happy that the government has finally issued the order for the teachers and principals of government colleges," Sarkar said.

The order says that it will be applicable to the teachers who were in service on January 1.

"...The governor is hereby pleased to direct that notwithstanding anything contained in rule 75 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-I and the West Bengal Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules 1971, the retirement age of all full-time regular teachers, principals, librarians and physical instructors of government colleges [general degree colleges and engineering degree colleges] enjoying teaching status and equivalent scale of pay, holding substantive posts and in service on 1st January, 2017 shall be enhanced from sixty years to sixty two years, with immediate effect," the order says.