Aided college teachers urge Minister to implement CAS benefits

The State Higher Education Department has agreed “in principle” to instrumentality the long-pending Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits for teachers of government-aided colleges successful the State, a teachers’ relation typical said.

At a gathering with Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan connected Wednesday, which was attended by higher officials of the Department arsenic well, the Minister assured the teachers that the long-pending request to revise their salaries to accommodate CAS benefits would beryllium taken up aft owed consultation with the Finance Department and clearance from the Chief Minister.

“For the archetypal clip successful respective years, we person received a affirmative assurance from the government,” said J. Gandhiraj, president, Association of University Teachers Tamil Nadu. A G.O. issued successful 2021 said the monetary benefits of CAS would beryllium paid to aided assemblage teachers from August 1, 2018, though the 7^th Pay Commission revision came into effect successful 2016. The revision was implemented successful each authorities colleges but not successful aided institutions, which has been a long-pending constituent of contention for the teachers.

A memorandum submitted to the Minister said that arsenic galore arsenic 7,502 teachers were affected by the hold successful implementation of CAS benefits and that implementing it would outgo the exchequer ₹14.5 crore. It requested the officials to see CAS benefits to the wage for the period of June itself.

Prof. Gandhiraj said that the officials of the Higher Education Department informed the teachers’ representatives that the arrears could instrumentality immoderate clip to beryllium cleared, but they gave disconnected affirmative signals astatine the meeting.

Apart from the Minister, those contiguous astatine the gathering see Higher Education Secretary, V. Arun Roy, Commissioner of Collegiate Education P. Ponnaiah, and Joint Director of Collegiate Education (Finance) R. Raman. The teachers were represented by Prof. Gandhiraj, J. Charles, Treasurer, AUT, A.T. Senthamarai Kannan, General Secretary, Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa, and Alagappa University Teachers’ Association (MUTA), and R. Raja Jaya Sekar, Treasurer, MUTA.