The Association of University Teachers has written to the Higher Education Department demanding the cancellation of an extension order issued to the retired principal of JKK Nataraja College in Komarapalayam as it violated government norms.
The AUT contended that the order was against the earlier directives issued by the department as a State government employee’s retirement age was fixed at 58 and as the government paid the salary of teachers in aided institutions.
A Government Order (G.O. 350) issued in 2009 by the then Higher Education Secretary, K. Ganesan, has maintained that the retirement age shall remain 58 for college teachers and 60 for university teachers. “There shall be no re-employment beyond the age of superannuation,” the G.O. states.
On two occasions in 2014, the then Higher Education secretary, Apurva Varma, and the present Director of Collegiate Education, M. Devadoss, cited the G.O. and denied permission to three colleges seeking to extend the term of retiring principals.
AUT general secretary N. Pasupathy said colleges may repeatedly approach with such requests but the government cannot violate its own order.
Higher Education secretary Apoorva said she would have to go through the files before responding to the complaint.
