WB Govt. to notify through circular mandatory working hours for college teachers

Updated on: Thursday, September 27, 2012

It will soon be mandatory for teachers in all 450 government colleges across Bengal to put in a minimum of five working hours daily, six days a week. The rule, which the higher education department is set to notify through a circular, is likely to be come into effect from November 1.

A similar circular was issued by the Left Front government in 1999 but wasn't implemented. The Bratya Basu-led higher education department is, however, determined to bring teachers' working hours in line with the recommendations of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which wants a 40-hour working week for teachers in government colleges. The UGC inquired about teachers' current working hours in a letter to the department last month.

Only elite colleges like St Xavier's, Lady Brabourne, Bethune and Victoria Girls enforce the working-hour norm now. Officials said the department had already asked 34 colleges to file teachers' performance reports (TPRs). Once the circular is notified, filing of monthly TPRs will also become mandatory for all state-run and aided colleges, as will maintaining attendance registers with details of number of classes taught. Teachers not obeying will be penalized with pay cuts.

A senior higher education department official told TOI, "It is necessary for teachers to be present in college at least five hours every day. The government will provide the necessary space infrastructure to colleges. The state government is implementing the Career Advancement Scheme from November 1 (which will see MPhil and PhD holders get a pay hike and promotions in some cases). We plan to issue the guideline the same month," the official added.

The government may also specify the teaching hours of lecturers, readers and professors. "In case of lecturers and assistant professors, 16 hours a week is mandatory. In case of readers and professors, it is 14 hours. A relaxation of two hours may be given to professors who are involved in research," the official said.

The minimum number of mandatory working days in government colleges will be specified as well. "Colleges must have 180 actual teaching days, which means a minimum of 30 weeks of teaching in the academic year. Ten weeks may be denoted to administrative and examination activities and non-instructional days like the sports. Ten more weeks will account for vacations in a year and two weeks for other activities," the official said.

The move was prompted by a flood of complaints about teachers not attending college for more than two or three hours in many colleges. "We cannot let this happen. Private tuitions have become lucrative business for many college teachers," another senior government official said.

Dipak Kar, principal of Ashutosh College, says no records of teachers' working hours are maintained. Preenan Sarkar, third-year statistics student at Maulana Azad College, says students lose interest when a teacher is irregular.

WB Govt. to notify through circular mandatory working hours for college teachers

More Education news