Chennai: Tamil Nadu Federation of Universities Faculty Associations appealed to state govt to increase the retirement age of faculty members in state universities from 60 to 65 years.Citing the vacancies in the state universities, the federation said that to protect the quality of teaching, research and academic standards, it was necessary to retain experienced faculty members on a par with IITs, IIMs and central universities.University of Madras has 65% vacancies, with 180 permanent faculty members against 515 sanctioned posts. Bharathidasan University has 50% vacancies, with 119 permanent faculty against 236 sanctioned posts. Madurai Kamaraj University has 212 full-time faculty members against 405 sanctioned posts. The universities are managing with guest faculty and temporary faculty.“Senior professors play a pivotal role in driving research projects, entering international collaborations and securing funded projects,” said D Baskaran, general secretary of the federation, adding that several states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, increased the retirement age to 65 years.Tamil Nadu govt increased the superannuation age of govt employees and college faculty from 58 years to 60 years, but the retirement age for state universities’ faculty remains at 60 years, said professors.S P Thyagarajan, former vice-chancellor of University of Madras, said the retirement age of faculty members should be increased based on expertise and the department’s needs. “University Grants Commission launched a fellowship for superannuated faculty members. Instead of increasing the retirement age, state govt can consider filling the vacancies with young faculty members to create a vibrant learning ecosystem,” he said.
