Now alternative for teachers

Public university professors under an alternative system would get salaries of grades 1 and 2 of the new pay scale, subject to approval by the University Grants Commission.

They would also be entitled to a special grade on a par with that of the senior secretaries. Teachers of the status of national professor would only be eligible for the special grade.

The new system would replace the selection grade and time scale. The finance ministry on Tuesday sent a letter to the education secretary to implement the decisions. The gazette of the new pay scale was also published that day.

The cabinet approved the eighth National Pay Scale on September 7, but the university teachers went on a movement protesting abolishment of selection grade and time scale and their status on the pay scale.

The cabinet committee on elimination of salary discrimination made some recommendations in this regard. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later approved the recommendations.

The finance ministry's letter said professors can get salaries of grades 1 and 2, but the number of teachers in grade-1 would not be more than 25 percent of those in grade-2 at a time.

As the issue of providing grade-1 and grade-2 salary to the professors is related to financial matters of the government, public university authorities would implement it with prior approval from a committee led by the UGC chairman, added the letter.

Under the previous pay scale, university professors got salaries of grade-3, but a portion of them used to be elevated to grades 2 and 1 with the entitlement of time scale and selection grade.

Talking to The Daily Star, a finance ministry official said although the selection grade and time scale have been cancelled, all the privileges of the university teachers would be kept in place in the new system upon approval by the UGC.

Some 100 officials are now serving as secretary and around 12 as senior secretary. About six to seven professors might have the special grade, the official mentioned.

 There are over 13,000 teachers at 37 public universities in the country. Of them, around 3,250 are professors.

The letter also said professors of public colleges currently draw salaries of grade-4 under the pay scale of 2009. Around half of them are elevated to grade-3 through selection grade.

The education ministry could create scope for promoting the college professors from grade-4 to grade-3. The ministry can go for amending the existing recruitment and promotion rules in this regard, read the letter.

Earlier, teachers under the banner of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association staged demonstrations demanding that senior professors and senior secretaries be put on the same grade.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said there would be no grievances as the government met most of the demands of the professors.