Telangana govt raises retirement age for university faculty and admin staff to 65

The retirement age for regular university faculty members and those under the administrative control of the Higher Education department has been raised from 60 to 65 years old by the Telangana state government.

The decision was reaffirmed by a Government Order (GO) issued on Jan 28 by Yogita Rana, secretary of the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE).

"The government, after careful examination of the matter, hereby enhances the age of superannuation of regular teachers working in the state universities of Telangana. The enhanced age of superannuation applies only to the teaching faculty who are drawing the UGC scale of pay in the state universities of Telangana under the administrative control of the higher education department," reads the GO released by the higher education department.

According to the decision, teachers who are paid as per the UGC pay scale at state universities are subject to the new retirement age.

The Higher Education department is facing several difficulties, including a serious lack of competent faculty—the last hiring was done in 2013—which has prompted this action.

The TGCHE highlighted that keeping senior faculty members is essential for upholding high teaching, research, and academic standards.

The increased retirement age will apply specifically to faculty members on the 2016 UGC revised pay scale in state universities under TGCHE administration.

The government aims to address the faculty shortage and retain experienced educators, fostering a more stable academic environment while preserving the quality of teaching and research in Telangana's universities.

Of the 2,817 sanctioned professor positions, only 757 are filled, leaving 2,060 vacancies.

Moreover, two to three professors retire each month from Osmania University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH), and Kakatiya University, exacerbating the vacancy issue.

The shortage has had a detrimental effect on the quality of education as well as the universities' ability to obtain National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), National Board of Accreditation (NBA), National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) accreditations, and international rankings.