The Lakshmibai College, which is affiliated to Delhi University, has suddenly implemented a pay cut for February for faculty members with MPhil and PhD degrees, giving them a big shock.

It took some time for the faculty to discover that the college had followed a government mandate that had been in effect for eight years to withdraw the increments awarded to faculty members based on their research degrees.

Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) members told The Telegraph that these incentives began in 2010 after the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued guidelines on teacher employment that provided for five increments, totalling 15 per cent of base salary, for those having a PhD.

The University Grants Commission aimed to promote research and attract skilled teachers to colleges.

If a faculty member takes a study leave and earns a PhD, the institution awards her or him three increments. MPhil holders receive three increments at the time of recruiting and one for earning an MPhil while in service.

However, in 2017, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), which is now the Ministry of Education (MoE), issued an order advocating for the end of such benefits.

The government stated that academic members with PhDs and MPhil are exempt from the minimum experience for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor, so these additional incentives were unnecessary.

The government decree was not executed by institutions because the UGC's new norms on teacher appointment in 2018 maintained these incentives.

Last month, the UGC sent a letter to all central universities requesting that they remove the incentives to prevent audit concerns.

While Delhi University has not made a decision on the issue, the order has been enforced by Lakshmibai College and Shyam Lal College. The Lakshmibai College staff association met with Principal Pratush Vatsala on Tuesday, March 4, to address concerns over the rushed execution of the UGC directive before DU made a decision.