Pune: Providing relief to the teaching and non-teaching staff of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), the varsity administration has set up a grievances redressal committee. This will help staffers get quick solutions to issues like seniority promotions, pay scale regularisation, managing leaves and others without having to run from pillar to post.
“The committee comes as a welcome change as in the past two years, non-teaching staff went on strike a few times for various reasons. As per the Mahrashtra Public Universities Act 2016, it is mandatory for all universities to set up grievance cells. The SPPU committee is functional for the last few weeks. It is headed by retired district court judge Madhav Godbole,” said Pro-Vice Chancellor NS Umarani.
Other members comprise Dean of Inter-Disciplinary Science Deepak Mane, Registrar Arvind Shaligram and Administrative Council Member Rajesh Pande.
Under section 79 (1) of Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, there shall be a grievances committee in each university to deal with all types of grievances; except grievances against the State government, of teachers and other employees of the university, affiliated and autonomous colleges and recognized institutions, other than those managed by the State or Central governments or local authority not within the jurisdiction of the university and college tribunal.
According to this act, the committee should hear and decide the grievances within three months from date of complaint.
Recently, the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) issued a circular to all state non-agriculture universities directing them to constitute a grievances redressal committee.
“The right to select he members of the committee will remain with the Vice-Chancellor of the university. After formation of the grievance redressal committee, a report of it should be submitted to the directorate,” said Director of Higher Education Dhanraj Mane.
Educationist Prakash Pawar had once highlighted that absence of a grievances redressal committee at non-agriculture universities and its affiliated colleges led to many issues of teaching and non-teaching staff remaining unresolved. Therefore, he had appealed to the directorate office and requested vice-chancellors of all non-agricultural universities to take steps to form a grievance redressal committee.
Thus, the DHE issued a circular. “There are various complaints and issues of college teaching and non-teaching staffs which are being tabled at the government offices for solutions. But there are a few issues which can be resolved at the college or university level itself. Hence, this committee will be beneficial for teaching and non-teaching staff members to register their complaints and get it resolved immediately,” said Mane.
