The Congress-affiliated Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA) has expressed concerns over some recent administrative actions affecting college teachers, including the insistence on similarity index checks for promotions and recovery procedures related to MPhil and PhD advance increments.
V.M. Chacko, KPCTA functionary and Senate member, University of Calicut (CU), pointed out in a release on Sunday (February 1) that the University Grants Commission Regulations, 2018, which govern promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme, do not mandate similarity index checks for promotion from Associate Professor to Professor. Referring to the relevant provisions of the regulations and subsequent Government Orders (GOs) and university orders, the association said that there was no legal basis for introducing additional conditions. The KPCTA alleged that such directions had resulted in unnecessary delays in clearing promotion files in affiliated colleges.
The association also expressed strong opposition to the recovery procedures initiated against teachers who had received advance increments for MPhil and PhD qualifications. The KPCTA leaders said that existing GOs clearly specify that any excess amount, if at all, can only be adjusted against dearness allowance revision arrears or promotion arrears, and not through measures such as withholding salary or annual increments. Mr. Chacko has submitted petitions to the Director of Collegiate Education, the Deputy Director of Collegiate Education, Kozhikode, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calicut.
Published – February 01, 2026 07:07 pm IST
