Most CAPE lecturers continue in the entry-level assistant professor cadre for over 25 years, many having reached retirement age, despite holding M.Tech or PhD qualifications.
Kottayam, Kerala: Teachers at engineering colleges under the Co-operative Academy of Professional Education (CAPE) society, which functions under the Department of Cooperation, are receiving basic salaries lower than those of last-grade government employees, with no revisions or promotions in sight.
The starting basic pay for permanent lecturers is ₹21,600, including a ₹6,000 grade pay. The only increment comes in the form of 3% of the basic pay annually. By contrast, lab instructors in the same colleges receive a basic salary of ₹27,800, while non-teaching staff have undergone both salary revisions and promotions.
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The sixth pay revision, as per AICTE norms, was implemented in 2006. The seventh revision, due in 2016, has not yet been carried out, leaving a 66% dearness allowance (DA) arrear pending. Most lecturers continue in the entry-level assistant professor cadre for over 25 years, many having reached retirement age by that time, despite holding M.Tech or PhD qualifications.
Non-teaching staff, including lab personnel, are paid according to government scales and received the 2016 pay revision, with the 2021 revision currently in its final stages. According to the Association of CAPE Teachers (ACT), a lecturer with 10 years of service at a CAPE college earns ₹35,000–40,000 less than a lecturer with the same tenure in a government engineering college.
AICTE regulations mandate direct recruitment for all teaching positions and the implementation of a Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). However, the CAS has not been implemented. The Cooperation Minister informed the Kerala Legislative Assembly in February last year that steps are being taken to implement it.
CAPE’s engineering colleges were established in 1999 under the Department of Cooperation and currently employ around 300 permanent teaching staff across nine colleges.
Published: 28 Nov 2025, 04:19 pm IST
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