Rajasthan medical college teachers protest service rule disparities, demanding equal application of revised pay rules for all appointees.
A mass leave by nearly 700 teachers of 17 government medical colleges of Rajasthan from July 22 will throw the academic atmosphere of these medical colleges completely out of gear. This collective action is in response to long-standing grievances over service rules imposed by the Rajasthan Medical Education Society. This is due to the sense of being shortchanged and differences in pay structures for them. These are likely to grow more if recent policy decisions by the state government are allowed to take hold.
Background of the Dispute
Teachers in government medical colleges are appointed under the aegis of RajMES-an, an autonomous body of the Rajasthan state government. Though these teachers come under the same governmental umbrella, their service rules differ from others across the state. Chiefly, the agitating teachers are raising the demand for adopting the Rajasthan Civil Services. These revised rules are considered better and more justified than the existing rules under which the RajMES presently comes.
According to Dr.Rajendra Yadav, Vice-President, of RajMES RMCTA Welfare Society, much frustration and chaos prevailed after the announcement of the State Budget. Jubilation has prevailed since the Government announced the adoption of the Rajasthan Civil Services Rules for RajMES. This move has been perceived by one and all as a step toward rectifying existing anomalies and ensuring equitable treatment to medical educators. However, the subsequent declaration that these rules would apply to only those teachers who are appointed on or after August 1, 2024, has brought about much unrest.
Implications of New Rules
The deliberate step of making the Rajasthan Civil Services, the Revised Pay Rules-2017 applicable only to future appointees divides the teaching staff terribly. While the teachers appointed before August 1, 2024, shall remain under the existing RajMES rules riddled with inconsistencies, according to them, leading to a lower pay scale than their counterparts in the Rajasthan Civil Services Rules, this bifurcation will perpetuate and accentuate pay disparity leading to ‘dying cadre’ as described by Dr. Yadav.
The ‘dying cadre’ is a group of employees whose individual posts, as the incumbent retires or leaves, will eventually be phased out without new members being added under the same conditions. Though administratively convenient, this concept is deeply demoralizing to those within the cadre, for it signifies an end to any possible improvements in the service conditions. That means for the present medical teachers under RajMES rules, a prolonged period of dissatisfaction and a probable stagnation in their careers.
The Standpoint of Teachers
The mass leave is a symbolic expression of their frustration and a demand to rectify it immediately. Only then would all medical teachers, irrespective of the date of appointment, be governed by the same rules so that there is fairness and consistency in the process. It’s not only the money but also recognition and respect for their professional contributions.
As per the teachers’ association, there are innumerable anomalies in the present RajMES rules that impact their pay, promotion, and job satisfaction. The teachers feel that bringing the RajMES rules to par with the Rajasthan Civil Services Revised Pay Rules-2017 is an important step toward the removal of these anomalies. A unified approach was called for by the association; it has demanded the state government reconsider its decision and implement the revised rules for all medical teachers without any cut-off date.
Way Forward
The state government is standing at a critical juncture. The resolution of this standoff will call for nuances into the teachers’ grievances and a pledge for equity and justice in the system. The mass leave, though disruptive, underlined the urgency and seriousness of the matter sought to be brought home by the teachers.
Only through meaningful dialogue with the teachers’ association, reviewing the implications of the present policy, and making necessary amendments to the service rules will it be possible to bring about an atmosphere in which both sides strive towards harmonious and productive functioning of the academic environment. The government needs to take immediate cognizance of the situation to avoid further disturbances while ensuring that medical education of the highest quality is maintained across the state of Rajasthan.
The mass leave of almost 700 teachers in the medical colleges of Rajasthan is not an act of protest but a pleading of those teaching professionals for justice and equity. It shall show how committed the government is to educational excellence, particularly in its regard toward those educators who form the backbone of the medical education system in that very country.
