Kottayam: College teachers have raised complaints that the state govenment is not following UGC guidelines regarding the promotion of teachers, as their previous service in accredited institutions is not being considered. Even though the Administrative Tribunal and the courts have issued orders to follow UGC guidelines, the Higher Education Department has not agreed to make it public policy. As the government has taken an adamant stand on this issue, the chances of promotion for around 150 teachers who have been waiting for approval have become uncertain.

The issue concerns the promotion of teachers transferring from aided colleges to government colleges, from deemed universities to government and aided institutions, and from aided colleges or government colleges to university departments. Although their previous service in these departments or institutions was recognized under UGC guidelines, the Higher Education Department claims it cannot be considered for promotion.

The state adopted this policy in 2023. A teacher who had worked in a private deemed university and later joined a government college fought a legal battle up to the Supreme Court and won a favourable judgment. After the teacher obtained a favourable verdict from the Administrative Tribunal, the government appealed, but the court rejected it.

Recently, the department issued an order saying that the previous service of this teacher could be considered for promotion. However, the government's stance is that even if promotions are granted to those who have received favourable court verdicts, this should not be applied to other cases. As a result, many teachers are now approaching the High Court, awaiting its intervention. The High Court has already sought the government's stance on the matter.

There is concern among university departments regarding whether to follow the UGC guidelines or the state's policy on promotions. To avoid complications in the future, they have been sending the promotion files to the Higher Education Department for a decision. While many of these files have been forwarded from the Higher Education Department to the Finance Department for clarification, they too seem to be shelved, much to the frustration of teachers waiting for their promotion.