The month-long standoff between the government and the IIT faculty over pay structure was "resolved" with the HRD Ministry agreeing to revisit the contentious norms, including 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to senior grade.
The IIT faculty expressed happiness over its hour-long meeting with HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to discuss the contentious issues but did not announce an end to their agitation.
The minister assured them that the Board of Governors of IITs can "deviate from the existing norms in exceptional cases to promote excellence".
"All issues between IIT faculty and HRD Ministry over pay structure have been resolved. Our guidelines are just norms and there can be flexibility or relaxation in exceptional cases," Sibal told reporters after the meeting.
The minister also assured the faculty that in case of any serious problem, they can raise the issue at the IIT Council meeting through their directors. Regarding the faculty’s demand for abolition of contractual appointment, he said the IIT system has the flexibility to deviate from the norms.
"Norms can be deviated from subject to certain conditions. The conditions can be laid down by the IIT directors and boards," he said.
The minister asked the faculty to resolve certain other demands by meeting their directors. The IIT faculty is meeting the IIT directors tomorrow to take up those issues.
The pay structure norms say that ten years of experience, including four years at associate professor level, is required for promotion to professor.
The faculty has been demanding flexibility in that norms so that even if a teacher has just one or two years of experience at associate professor level he can be promoted to the upper level.
The government norms say that assistant professors with three years experience are entitled for Pay Band-4. However, many teachers join this position with more than three years of experience. The faculty is demanding extra incentives for them.
The IIT faculty expressed happiness over its hour-long meeting with HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to discuss the contentious issues but did not announce an end to their agitation. The minister assured them that the Board of Governors of IITs can "deviate from the existing norms in exceptional cases to promote excellence".
"We will discuss with the directors about how they are going to implement the relaxations as assured by the ministers. We will raise the other issues, including flexibility in promotion. The federation will meet again and take the final decision on its agitational plan," Thenmozhi said.
Sibal said he has convened the meeting of IIT Council on October 19 where the futuristic vision of the IITs would be discussed.
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