SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: According to available data, unemployment rate in J&K is rising steadily. The CMIE’s September 2022 figures show unemployment rate in UT of J&K as 23.2 percent, second highest among all states and UTs of the country, which is really a cause of concern for both UT administration as well as people. LG’s administration claims that it is making all efforts to provide employment opportunities to unemployed youth, both in government as well as private sectors, but it is ever-growing ‘menace’ of re-engagement of retired employees in the universities and other government departments across J&K, which is negating efforts of Government. Amid rising unemployment rate, the varsities in UT have turned into hubs of re-engaged retired officials. All the universities have continuously reemployed/re-engaged retired officials/teachers in gross violation of rules and UGC guidelines. Recently, Kashmir University has taken a step and cancelled all re-appointments but rest of universities like BGSBU Rajouri and IUST Awantipora have not taken a single step in this regard.
There are many examples wherein retirees have been re-engaged on consolidated monthly salaries, as so-called ‘Consultants’ Liaison Officers in BGSBU. Moreover, a former VC and a retired AMU teacher have also been engaged in gross violation of norms. In the instant case, the retired teacher is holding an important position of Dean Academic Affairs of BGSBU.
The IUST Awantipora appears to be another hub of rehabilitation of retired teachers. At least half a dozen teachers, retired from Kashmir University made inroads into IUST. According to insiders, the University administration instead of seeking creation of posts of professors and filling-up the same is continuing with ‘bad practice’ of engaging retired teachers on consolidated salaries. “When a teacher retires, the UGC norms are clear that he/she can’t hold any administrative position,” said an official, in know-how of UGC regulations.
“Due to low budget and grants, BGSBU prefers to hire retirees as they are paying them just Rs 20,000-30,000 as remunerations, and if university chooses permanent faculty, it will have to pay them lakhs of rupees as salary,” informed a former Assistant Controller Examination, University of Kashmir, who himself works as a consultant in BAGSBU, while talking to STATE TIMES Correspondent. One of the arguments generally given for such re-engagements is that these people are ‘needed’ because of their so-called experience. “If educated youth, having qualifications PhDs and MPhils are not given a chance of employment, how will they gain experience” a youth said, alleging that university authorities are playing with their careers.
In view of rising graph of unemployment as well as the fact that there is no policy with universities to make such engagements, the matter of CUS has led to the probe. “If there are other universities who have resorted to such a practice, they cannot escape law and shall be made accountable,” the sources said, adding that other universities are also under scanner for such violations.
