Maharashtra New Professors Association Urges Higher Education Department to Address Key Demands

Pune, 26th February 2024: The Department of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra is urged to accede to the demands put forth by the Maharashtra New Professors Association. The demands include an increase in remuneration for hourly professors, consideration of the experience of these professors during permanent appointments, and the immediate appointment of assistant professors from the approved posts within the framework established on October 1, 2017. Furthermore, the association emphasizes the urgency of filling 100% of the director of education positions.

In the absence of a favourable response to these demands, the Maharashtra New Professors Association has issued a warning that they will embark on a hunger strike in front of the office. The ongoing recruitment process for 2,088 assistant professor positions in the state is a crucial endeavour. Since October 2017, numerous posts in various subjects have remained vacant due to reasons such as retirements and sudden deaths, leaving around 12,000 to 15,000 assistant professor positions vacant in non-agricultural colleges across the state. Additionally, there are eight to ten thousand unfilled non-teaching staff positions. The association stresses the critical need for prompt action to address these vacancies.

Dr Sandeep Pathrikar, the president of the association, expressed his concern over the fact that the October 2017 format has not been approved in the last six years, considering it a significant setback.

On behalf of the organization, Dr. Pathrikar presented a set of demands to the Director of Higher Education of the State, Dr. Shailendra Devlankar. The demands include:

1. Endorsement of sanctioned posts in the October 1, 2017 format.
2. Issuance of a no-objection certificate for the post of Assistant Professor at the level of Joint Director of Higher Education.
3. Immediate lifting of the ban on the recruitment of non-teaching staff in non-agricultural colleges.
4. Commencement of at least one government college of arts, commerce, and science in every district.
5. Swift submission of a proposal to establish a non-agricultural central university in Aurangabad district to the central government.
6. Ensuring remuneration for professors on an hourly basis as per the order of the University Grants Commission.