NEW DELHI: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Delhi High Court against the “exploitation” of teaching staff in the private engineering colleges.
The plea referred to a report of the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute which had highlighted that a substantial proportion of faculty members are exploited and are not paid even the basic minimum prescribed salary (AICTE Pay Scale), get no salary slips, have prolonged working hours, face forceful retention of the original documents, etc.
In July 2024, the Delhi High Court ordered the AICTE to treat an earlier writ petition on the same subject as a representation for the implementation of AICTE regulations and to decide the same by way of a speaking order in accordance with the law as expeditiously as possible.
In response to the representation, the AICTE, as per the latest petition, has refused to take desired measures against the exploitation of a lakh of faculty members in the private engineering colleges, saying that it cannot interfere in the day-to-day administrative affairs of the technical institutions.
The plea, filed through advocate Nandini Sharma, said it is the duty of the AICTE to take all such steps as it may think fit for ensuring coordinated and integrated development of technical education and maintenance of standards with full power to inspect any department of technical institute or university with penal powers under the All India Council for Technical Education Act, 1987 and the AICTE (Grant of Approvals for Technical Institutions) Regulations, 2020.
It added that the AICTE itself has framed the All India Council for Technical Education Pay Scales, Service Conditions and Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff-(Degree) Regulation, 2019, for granting 7th Pay Scale to the faculty members in the technical institutions along with other benefits, i.e., increment, promotion, health insurance, pension, leave, training, incentives, etc., but, “has denied to interfere in matters of the technical institutions, even if, they are violating the norms and standards of AICTE”.
Apart from implementation of the AICTE regulations in true letter and spirit, the plea seeks directions for increasing investment upon technical educations to meet the requirement of the vast country like India, including measures such as increasing the number of engineering seats, appointment of sufficient faculty, infrastructure, research and development in the engineering colleges.