The XXVII Conference of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations held at the North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon from 19^th to 21^st of November took serious note of the situation prevailing in the Higher education system in the country.

The Conference took note of the various disparities in the implementation of the scales of pay - in the date of implementation, in the payment of allowances, in the payment of retirement benefits, age of superannuation, in the award of promotions etc. The conference urges the MHRD and the UGC to see that the pay scales with other attendant benefits are implemented uniformly through out the country.

The Conference also took note of the anomalies arising out of the implementation of the pay scales and urges the UGC to advise the Anomalies Committee to hold discussions with the AIFUCTO and redress the anomalies at an early date.

The AIFUCTO also demands the MHRD to announce a suitable scale for the Tutors/Demonstrators and Accompanists. It also demands that Librarians and Physical Directors should be treated on par with teachers in all respects.

The Conference took note of the fact that a large number of teachers like part-time teachers, unaided teachers, contract teachers and guest teachers have not been benefited by the pay revision and are at the whims and fancies of the private managements and the state governments. As this number far outnumbers the aided teachers, this seriously impacts upon the educational institutions and impacts upon the quality of higher education too. So, this Conference urges the MHRD, UGC and the state governments and the universities to see that the new pay revision is extended to all these types of teachers without which the Govt.’s assertions on quality enhancement of Higher Education would only be an empty rhetoric.

The Conference also viewed with concern the status and service conditions of the teachers, Librarians, DPEs working in the unaided colleges and unaided courses in private and Govt. colleges and universities whose status is no better than that of the bonded labourers and urges the UGC and the MHRD to take serious efforts to make them eligible for legal job-security and service conditions.

The Conference calls upon all the units of the AIFUCTO to organize these teachers, take up their demands and mobilize them for vigorous struggles to achieve their demands.

Though the Conference recognizes the necessity of updating the curriculum, importance of Research, orientation of teachers in the modernization of the education system and in the accountability of teachers, it feels that the UGC regulations with its over emphasis on quantifying academic performance, weighing academic inputs in terms of monetary input, privileging global over the local and equating standards over standardization will not serve its purpose. Similarly insisting on a selection committee and on the chairperson of the College committee and his representatives on the selection committee for promotion on the basis of the academic performance is not required and will be utilized by unscrupulous managements to harass and victimize teachers than unbiasedly assess the performance of the teachers. Hence the Conference urges the UGC to revise the UGC Regulations on the light of the above. The Conference also urges the UGC and the MHRD to provide appropriate infrastructure, library and laboratory facilities required for the modernization of higher education.

Though the Conference recognizes the minority rights enshrined in the constitution, it views with concern the relaxation given to the minority institutions to have in the selection committee for the recruitment of teachers, a panel of experts of the appropriate statutory body of the minority college will be discriminatory and will not help to find meritorious candidates and hence it urges the UGC that the Regulations should be so revised that the panel of experts should be from among the list of experts decided by the appropriate statutory body of the university.

The Conference urges that the UGC Regulations (2010) should be only prospective and not retrospective and as the UGC Regulations have been notified only on the 18^th, September, 2010, all the promotions due on or before should be made on the basis of the old Regulations.

The Conference deplores the attitude of the MHRD in rejecting the decision of the UGC to grant approval to those teachers without NET/SLET and appointed before the notification of the regulations by the respective states. This Conference strongly demands that the MHRD should keep up its promise that it would solve the issue of the Maharahtra teachers without SLET/NET. The AIFUCTO expresses its support to the Dharna organized by the MFUCTO on 02-12-10 at New Delhi and calls upon its affiliates to participate in the Dharna.

The Conference views with concern the inordinate delay in the release of central funds to the states consequent upon the implementation of pay scales thereby delaying the payment of arrears to teachers whereas the Central govt. employees and teachers working in central universities have already received the entire arrears. So this conference urges the govt. of India to immediately release the grants to the state governments.

The Conference urges the MHRD and the UGC to resolve the issue of revised CAS from 01-01-96 instead of 27-07-98 as recommended by the Chaddha Committee and the MHRD notification dated 31-12-08 and as per the Judgment of the Hon. Kerala High Court and as per the commitment given to the High Court by the Counsels of the UGC and the MHRD.

The Conference urges the Govt. of India to extend the Assured Pension Scheme to all those appointed after 01-01-04 and resolves to join other trade unions and Govt. employees Federations to achieve the Assured Pension Scheme.

The Conference expresses its dismay and disappointment at the total apathy of the State Governments, Universities and the govt. of India in filling up the vacant posts or filling up the posts with part-time or contract teachers. The conference urges that the posts of teachers, librarians , DPEs and other academic staff be filled up as and when they fall vacant and also sanction new posts depending upon the increased workload and increased strength of students.

This Conference expresses its dismay and concern at the hasty efforts of the govt. of India to initiate far reaching reforms without consulting the academic community and the AIFUCTO representing the entire 5 lakh teachers. The new bills introduced in the Parliament, the Foreign Educational Institutions Bill, the Education Tribunals Bill, The Universities for Innovation Bill, the bill for the Creation of an Independent Accreditation Agency, the Bill for the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Professional Educational Institutions and the Proposed Higher Education Commission bill will result in Centralization, globalization, commercialization and corporatization of higher education. It will impact upon the access and inclusiveness of higher education and will exclude the poor, the dalits, the marginalized and even women from higher education. Consequently it will also impact upon the development of the nation. Hence this Conference urges the Govt. of India to withdraw the Bills, constitute a national Commission of Education like the Dr. Radhakrishnan Commission and the Kothari Commission to go into every aspect of Higher education so that the country could have a democratic and scientific educational policy aimed at the development of the country and the future of the youth of our country.

This Conference resolves to fight against the anti-people educational policies of the Govt. and resolves to mobilize all sections of the Society including the school teachers, students, youth, the non-teaching employees working in colleges and universities and other sections of the civil society.

The Conference resolves to join the Rally organized at New Delhi on 02-12-10 by the National Forum in Defence of Education and to continue the protest in all forms. The Conference urges the members to join the protests in large numbers.