Unqualified employees of self-financing colleges in the State will be required to meet the eligibility norms laid down by regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) within a stipulated time-frame decided by the government.
The requirement has come into effect with the promulgation of the Kerala Self-Financing College Teaching and Non-Teaching Employees (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021, by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday. While the law guaranteed service conditions of employees in self-financing colleges, it also establishes norms for appointments.
The law also required educational agencies (or managements) of self-financing colleges to fix working days and working hours and provide public holidays, casual leave and maternity leave for teaching and non-teaching employees on par with government and aided colleges. Appointees and educational agencies will have to enter into agreements that state conditions of service including post, scale of pay, increment, grade, promotion, period of appointment, salary, allowance and overtime duty. The age limit for appointments and the age of retirement will be as determined by the regulatory bodies.
While college managements will hereafter be required to enrol each appointee for Provident Fund and insurance schemes, they will be required to comply with the norm within six months in the case of those employees who were yet to be brought under the ambit of such schemes thus far.
Educational agencies will continue to be the disciplinary authority of their employees. However, any aggrieved person can appeal against disciplinary actions before the university. Colleges will also have to constitute various panels, including internal quality assurance cell, parent-teacher association, students grievance redressal cell, college council and internal committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The provisions of the ordinance will be applicable for Kerala University, Calicut University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kannur University and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University.
