SHILLONG: VPP MLA Brightstarwell Marbaniang met with State Education Department Commissioner Vijay Mantri on November 3, 2026, to address pressing grievances concerning the UGC Pay Scale for assistant professors and pending Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity (DCRG) dues.
The meeting followed widespread confusion triggered by official notifications that contradicted earlier assurances given by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly regarding the protection of UGC-sanctioned posts.
Marbaniang termed these conflicting circulars a breach of legislative privilege, though he noted that the commissioner has assured serious intervention to resolve the matter.
The discussions also spotlighted the contentious issue of age bars for teaching positions in deficit colleges, which has lingered without statutory backing for the past three to four years.
Marbaniang pointed out that applying arbitrary age limits unfairly penalizes dedicated youth who spend years pursuing advanced degrees like MA, MSc, MCom, NET, and research, ultimately shutting out candidates over 37 years of age from interviews despite UGC norms prescribing no such restrictions.
In response, the commissioner indicated that a clarifying notification would be issued within the coming week.
Furthermore, the VPP delegation raised serious concerns regarding the prolonged delays in disbursing DCRG benefits to retired educators from deficit schools and colleges.
Highlighting cases where teachers have been deprived of their rightful dues for up to six years—despite the MLA previously raising the issue in 2023 and receiving a ministerial promise—Marbaniang contrasted this with instances where other retirees receive a restricted maximum of six months’ payment.
The commissioner expressed disappointment over the administrative backlog and gave a firm assurance that steps would be finalized within November to clear all pending dues.
(4FrontMedia news)
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