SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Dec 22: The teachers of the Barhet-based BSK College, Barharwa in Sahibganj district, which is a constituent college in Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s assembly constituency, are gasping for the payscale of UGC at par with other constituent colleges in Jharkhand.
Constituent college teachers in other universities in Jharkhand including Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU) Dumka (in which Barhet college falls) draw salaries as per the 7th pay scale since 2016. However, teachers of BSK College are still paid their salaries as per the 4th pay scale. Interestingly, the non-teaching staff of this college draw salaries as per the 5th pay scale.
The 63 beleaguered teachers who were appointed in 1988, ran from pillar to post right from successive vice-chancellor to chancellors (governor) of the state in the last six years but to no avail.
In January 2022, the Jharkhand High Court ruled in favour of them and directed them to pay salaries as per the 7th pay scale along with arrears. However, The state government sat on the order for 10 months and filed the Letter Patents Appeal (LPA) in October against it to linger the process.
The victim teachers of the college have already filed a contempt of court case against the state government.
They said that they had high hopes from SKMU vice-chancellor Prof Sonajhari Minz when she assumed office last year. But she did nothing to provide justice.
“No doubt she set up a high-level committee under the then Pro-vice-chancellor for the 7th pay scale to BSK College teachers but the committee never sat. Most members of the committee shifted to different posts,” said Prof Balgovind Kashyap, the president of the SKMU Teachers Association.
Notably, the All India Federation University and College Teachers Organization (AIFUCTO) president Prof Arun Kumar also arrived in Dumka and met VC Sonajhari Minz regarding the matter. This was the first time in 22 years of Jharkhand when the AIFUCTO president came for justice for college teachers.
“SKMUTA and FUTAJ have left no stone unturned to get justice for BSK College teachers. Even the national president of AIFUCTO Prof Arun Kumar came to convince the V-C over the issue but no step was initiated to plug the anomalies,” said Prof Santosh Sil, the secretary of SKMUTA.
Official records show that some teachers have retired while getting 4th pay scale and some even died. Only 23 of them are left in jobs and have been pinning their hopes on the High Court.
Ironically, 11 colleges of Jharkhand along with BSK College, Barharwa were made constituent together but barring this college, the teachers of the other 10 colleges are paid as per the 7th pay scale.
Though in 2016, the then VC started paying the 5th pay scale after getting a nod from the Senate and Syndicate when the new V-C took charge and held up the payment in 2018 saying that the higher education department of the state government has not issued any notification in this regard.
When the then Governor (now President of India) Droupdi Murmu received this information, she directed the Higher Education department to probe the pay scale disparity of Barharwa College teachers and submit a report. A team visited Sahibganj and reportedly submitted the report. However, the report was wrapped up under the carpet.
