UGC Pay Review Committee : My Views

[Anand Dodamani]

UGC Pay Review Committee: My Views

Anand Dodamani

Dear All,

Please take few minutes out of your busy schedule to read this mail.

With around 700 universities and 35000 affiliated colleges enrolling more than 20 million students, the India's Higher Education System is the third largest in the world after USA and China . All the universities in the country are governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi. The UGC has the unique distinction of being the only grant-giving agency in the country which has been vested with two responsibilities: that of providing funds and that of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards in institutions of higher education. The UGC has supreme power to bring any kind of change in the administration of universities including their libraries. The Seventh Pay Review Committee is one of such opportunities to introduce any change.

University libraries play an important role in shaping the future of our youth. They actively support the teaching and research activities of the universities by providing useful and updated information resources in the form of books and journals both in print and digital formats.

There is no doubt that university libraries are functioning very efficiently. They have adopted and implemented many advanced technologies. But, somehow there is a kind of dissatisfaction in the senior and middle management staff of working in university libraries. One can notice an absence of leadership in many university libraries.

The post of 'University Librarian' is vacant in most of the universities. In some universities, some senior professors who do not know have any knowledge about the library management are made as Library Directors/ Deans etc. and the librarians are asked to work under their inefficient leadership. There are very very few university libraries in the country that have dynamic librarians who are working restlessly to make the library services accessible and acceptable by all.

There are another category of university libraries led by inactive and incapable people. These people have occupied these positions due to their closeness to the centres of power in universities. Such inactive people will be there until the age of their retirement from service, blocking all progressive ideas and implementation plans in the university libraries. This undesired development is demotivating other hard-working team members and has completely stalled the developmental activities in most of the university libraries.

Have you ever thought of any solution to this problem? There are solutions. I think of two options.

Option 1 :

I strongly feel that the post of ‘University Librarian’ should be made as a tenure post similar to that of Director/ Vice Chancellor/ Registrar/ Finance Officer etc in universities. The appointment of University Librarian should be made only for 03 years term. The person can be re appointed to the post based on his overall performance. If not re appointed, the person should go back to his original post.

Option 2:

The post of University Librarian should be rotated among the eligible Deputy Librarians as done in the case of the Chairpersons in the university departments. This will not only bring transparency in the work carried out by the University Librarians but also provide an opportunity to the second line leadership (Deputy Librarians) to develop leadership qualities.

Now, the Pay Review Committee appointed by UGC has invited suggestions from all the stakeholders including the library staff. It is a golden opportunity to bring this issue to the notice of the authorities in UGC. I request you to please think on it and register your suggestions online at :

http://www.ugc.ac.in/PRCFeedback.aspx

only if you are convinced of my thoughts.

With regards,

Anand Dodamani
Mumbai

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Anand Dodamani,
Many thanks for your post and for expressing your opinion without reservation.
I fully admit that there are genuine reasons to be aggrieved of the activities of University authorities in the recruitment process of Library people in senior positions and it is also very true that many university Libraries are cramped with inactive people. Still, admittedly, I don't think that the posts of University Librarians should be time bound or rotational.
I am confident that you will agree with me that many other staff in universities belonging to different categories and cadres are also equally incapable and inactive. According to your opinion, their services should also be time bound or rotational.
Never-the-less, The post of University Librarian bears a definite pay scale & and made through a valid recruitment process. In case it becomes a rotational post what will happen when a Deputy Librarian attains the post of University Librarian for a prefixed period? then Who will get the salary of the University Librarian?

Besides, the posts of Registrar, Finance Officer etc. are not tenured post. So singling out the Librarian to make him/her a scapegoat seems unjustified. What however warrants is absolute transparency in the recruitment process and reforms if any should start and end at this place only.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray

[Anand Dodamani]

Dear Siddharth Ji,

Thanks for the response.

The intention of my mail was not to hurt the feelings of anyone. There are good librarians under whose leadership many university libraries are being transformed  into  powerful Knowledge Centres. The university libraries have reached their peak of success under their able guidance. There is no doubt in that.

My intention was also not to scapegoat any specific post. There are both active and inactive people at each and every level of hierarchy in library. I agree with your views. But, the post of University Librarian is very important and powerful in the library and it should be made as a tenure based post or rotation policy based post. This reform will not only bring efficient people to the leadership position but also provides opportunity to other senior team members to develop leadership skills and qualities.

If a single person (capable or incapable) holds the post for longer periods, he will develop the qualities of a dictator and will become traitor of his own class. In that case, the team will gradually loose its spirit leading to a total collapse of the quality of library services. There may be exceptions. But in most cases, this will happen.

Universities are doing great job under the leadership of tenure posts such as Vice Chancellor/ Registrar/ Finance Officer etc. If the person holding the post is more capable, then he can be reappointed to the post as done in the case of Vice Chancellor and Registrar.

Universities have also witnessed a sea change in their quality of functioning after the adoption of Rotation Policy for department Chairmanships.

There is no much difference in the pay scale of Librarian and Dy. Librarian. With little modifications the recommendation can be adopted for larger good of the profession.

I repeat, my intentions are not to hurt the sentiments of anyone in the group.

Regards,

Anand Dodamani

Mumbai

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Sri Anand Dodamani,

Many thanks for your response. I have not alleged you of hurting the feelings of any individual or a certain group as such but sparing others if you opine to introduce reforms for University Librarians, this seems not fair.

Certainly your opinion is correct to a considerable extent.

My point was there are good and bad elements in every profession and ours is no exception. As such reforms should be for every one not for the library people singly.

I understand that besides a higher starting salary and a difference of GP of 1000/- there is no difference in the monetary aspect for an University Librarian. (However, there are considerable fringe benefits like say for traveling by Train or Air!!) 

The most important issue is since a person is recruited as University Librarian how is it possible to downgrade him/her. Besides, posts of Registrars & Finance Officers are permanent bearing the same pay scales of University Librarians and Professors.

During the rotation in the academic departments, department heads are changed at definite interval of time but it doers not affect the posts attained by other incumbents. I mean to say that when an Associate Professor becomes head of the departments by rotation, the Pay Scales & Designations of the Professors of the same department remain unaffected.

Lastly, and most importantly the libraries require long range plans to blossom and it is applicable to every library. I fully agree with you that if an University Library goes in the hands of an incapable person for a long time, it gets ruined. At the same time if a competent person is deprived of an opportunity to build up a Library throughout the years, it is even worse!! So the recruitment process needs to be transparent, stringent and completely fair all through. For instance, the Doctoral Degrees are regarded to be apex qualification while usually little attentions are given to the Ph.D. topics and same principles are applied during scrutiny of publications. The terms like Reviewed journals or Journals with ISSNs does not necessarily indicate the quality. Moreover they in no way reflect the leadership ability of an individual which seems to be prerequisite.

From my experience I can say that If you critically examine the CVs you will be able to unearth many issues which can affect the candidature of applicants both in negative as well as in positive ways!! I know of many people who have authored 3/4 books and ironically they have paid from their own pocket for their printing and publication. While one includes them in their API sheets, these useless garbages fetch high points and little attentions are given for checking of their whereabouts. In one occasion I had to check such "invaluable treasures" of three individuals and discovered that even the publishers have little/no idea of the whereabouts of the books!!  That is why I have stressed to the exercise of fair and transparent recruitment process!!

I too have no grudge against anyone but people's greed must be confined with their what is called in Hindi/Urdu as  'Owkat' that's all!! 

I am absolutely confident that if the recruitment process become transparent and fair, you will certainly pick out the best individual among a host of applicants.

[S.B.Sharma]

Dear Library Professional,

I want to submit my view regarding Library Assistant and Professional Assistant in College and University Libraries Pay Scale, As per 5th pay and 6th pay Commission. 5th pay commission had recommended basic pay Rs.5500-9000 for PA. but is has degraded in the 6th pay commision with Grade Pay Rs.4200. the according to Six pay commission it should had with Grade Pay Rs. 4600. Directorate of Education offering GP 4600 for the Librarian in school. the qualification of Librarian is simply B.Lib & I.Sc. on the other hand the essential Qualification of Professional Assistant is M.Lib & I.Sc & PGDCA. we have many Associations working for the welfare of the Library Professionals. not a single association has raised this issue to the Government. this is the right time to all of us to raise this issue in front of UGC because UGC has advertised Notification regrading Pay review Committee. I want to request all professionals and Associations come together specially Library Associations please do the needful for the welfare of the Library committee.