Implement Career Advancement Scheme benefits: Lecturers

More than 500 lecturers of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) and the Madurai-Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa, and Alagappa University Teachers’ Association (MUTA), including 200 women lecturers, staged a road blockade here on Saturday demanding for the immediate implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits.

The protesters said, “At the heart of the dispute is the delay in implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). While the Tamil Nadu government successfully implemented the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and cleared arrears for teachers in government colleges, their counterparts in government-aided institutions have been systematically side lined.”

The protesters highlighted the stark regional disparity in how the Higher Education Department has handled the transition.

“In Coimbatore and Thanjavur regions, teachers received their CAS pay hikes, but their accumulated arrears remain unpaid. In six other regions, including Chennai, teachers have received nothing but the official order on paper—neither the revised salary nor the arrears have been disbursed,” he added.

“We are functioning under the exact same Government Order as our colleagues in government colleges. Yet, we are being treated with a step-motherly attitude. This is not just a delay, but a discrimination,” said A.T. Senthamarai Kannan, general secretary, MUTA.

The crisis extends beyond the bank accounts of faculty members; it is directly impacting the academic future of the State. Under UGC regulations, only teachers with the designated associate professor rank could supervise a specific number of research scholars, he added.

Because the government has failed to officially finalise the CAS promotions for aided college teachers, many qualify for the rank but could not legally intake more students, Mr. Senthamarai Kannan said.

He estimated that over the last three years, roughly 1,000 students—primarily from poor, rural backgrounds—have lost the opportunity to pursue doctoral degrees.

“The protest which began as an in-house protest has entered into 13th consecutive day. Still, we are not being heard by the government and we wonder when our basic right will be fulfilled,” he said.

Addressing the gathering, AUT general secretary Xavier Selvakumar said that despite a policy decision supposedly taken in January 2026 to settle the dues, the January pay checks arrived without the promised benefits.

However, he added, a glimmer of hope remains ,as following a third round of talks, the Higher Education Minister reportedly assured the union leaders that a positive decision would be announced within the next 48 hours.