Senior and retired professors, who have contributed well to higher education, are feeling letdown with the State dilly-dallying on the retirement age. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, immediately after taking over, had announced that the superannuation age for the teaching staff would be enhanced to 62 years, but so far the GO has not been issued.
The age revision has been pending for the last two years and the file gathering dust at the secretariat. Moreover, many of the professors feel that the proposed enhancement of age to 62 years from 60 years, could have a technical problem.
In 2010, University Grants Commission raised the limit to 65 years. Many of the states also implemented it, but in AP (then unified), it was not.
But at the same time some institutes in AP such as in all Central Universities and AP State Council for Higher Education have implemented the UGC norm. But the State universities were left out. Professors feel that technical problem could arise as the Act has to be amended in all the universities, as it was decided by UGC to have a uniform superannuation age limit.
Supporting the 65 year revision, professors feel that State universities are collapsing due to lack of adequate experienced teachers and academic excellence.
A senior professor seeking anonymity has informed The Hindu that 70 per cent of the academic departments are unable to apply for research grant between Rs. 1crore to 10 crores from UGC or other Central funding agencies, for lack of specified experienced teaching staff. “In the west the retirement age is around 80 years, as they believe that higher education institutes need experienced teachers,” he said.
Taking advantage of the scenario, the private and deemed universities are reaping the research grants. The senior professors who have retired from the State-run universities are being employed by such deemed universities, and basing on their academic credentials, they are able to garner chunk of the grants.
