Kerala Assembly passes self-financing college employees bill: Report

NEW DELHI: The Kerala Assembly passed the Kerala Self-Financing College Teaching and Non-Teaching Employees Bill, 2021 that positions a law to guarantee service conditions for private college employees, the Hindu reported.

The Bill will make way for these employees to enjoy benefits such as salary, allowance, insurance and leave that are on a par with the Government and aided sector, the report said.

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The Bill was headed by the Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu on October 11 and was referred to the Subject Committee on Education. It was unanimously passed by the legislature, the report said.

The legislation, recommended by the Kerala State Higher Education Council, is being viewed as one that would standardise rules to ensure service conditions for those employed in the unaided sector, the report said.

Employees and educational agencies will be required to sign agreements that specify conditions including post, scale of pay, increment, grade, promotion, period of appointment, salary allowance and overtime duty, the report said.

Apart from that, employees who are not qualified will be required to meet the eligibility rules laid down by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other regulatory bodies. Employees will be able to appeal against disciplinary actions, the report said.

Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, who made the move to pass the Bill in the absence of Bindu, sought to reduce concerns that the law would hinder the rights of minority organisations, the report added.

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There have been numerous instances of employees being subjected to exploitation in the absence of regulations that guaranteed their welfare, he said, according to The Hindu.

KT Jaleel, MLA, urged Health Minister Veena George to introduce a similar law for the nearly 500 private colleges affiliated to the Kerala University of Health Sciences, the report further said.