-Baishali Mukherjee

West Bengal’s iconic institute of higher education, Jadavpur University, is facing salary delays for two consecutive months. Teachers and non-teaching staff received their December 2024 salaries in January 2025. However, the salary for January is yet to be credited. According to sources, the university authorities had to pay salaries and pensions for December 2024 from the university’s fixed deposit. University authorities allege that the state government has not yet disbursed the funds for January 2025 salaries and pensions. 

The Higher Education Department, however, has blamed the university authorities for negligence in this matter. According to an official from the Higher Education Department, “Jadavpur University is making errors in the requisition process and not submitting it on time, which is causing the salary delays. We are not withholding funds, nor do we intend to. However, the proper government procedures must be followed.”

The General Secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, Parthapratim Roy, said, “The state government had already stated that it would not provide any charge allowance or officiating allowance. It had also discontinued the part-time allowance earlier. Many crucial positions for teachers, officers, and staff remain vacant (as the state government has halted recruitment), and the university authorities are managing some of the workload by assigning additional responsibilities to officers and employees. The logic behind the government’s refusal to provide charge/officiating allowance is also unclear.”

The teachers’ association further alleged that since the introduction of COSA (Computerization of Salary Accounts), the state government has not been providing funds for various agencies involved in essential services such as security, sanitation, maintenance, and hostel staff. As a result, the university has been spending nearly 10 crore annually from its own funds for these expenses. Previously, in the 2023-24 financial year, the university faced a deficit of ₹38.97 crore in the non-salary sector. This shortfall occurred even after a 40% cut in funds allocated for departmental lab teaching and other expenses.

This kind of financial shortfall has been ongoing for the past several years. Parthapratim Roy stated that this information has already been presented to the Finance Committee and the Executive Council. He alleged that while it is said that government representatives are present in the Executive Council and speak on behalf of the state, there has been no indication that they have taken any initiative to address the issue. Additionally, he claimed that the university has not received any funds for NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) or NBA (National Board of Accreditation) assessments either.

Parthapratim Roy also shared, “The university receives a share of the funds from projects and consultancy work brought in by faculty members. However, instead of being used for research or other academic purposes, that money is being spent on salaries and the university’s daily operational costs. Meanwhile, several costly research instruments acquired through various projects remain non-functional due to a lack of funds. The same situation applies to teaching laboratories as well.”

As the university authorities and the Higher Education Department lock horns over responsibility for the salary delays, the academic community is worried about the suitable resolution of the issue.

Also read: Jadavpur University facing financial issues: JU Teachers Association