Chennai: Academicians have welcomed the Madras high court order suggesting that the state govt consider increasing the retirement age of professors in state universities from 60 to 65 years. They said this would help retain experienced professors and attract more researchers to enter into academics.University Grants Commission (UGC) also recommended the increasing retirement age from 60 years to 65 years for the professors.Anna University former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said, “It was the long-pending demand from the academicians in the state. The retirement age for professors in all centrally funded institutions is 65 years. It should be the same for professors working in state universities as well, as most of them are physically and mentally active at 60 years. This will boost the research as senior faculty members will have several research projects,” he said.Alagappa University former vice-chancellor S Subbiah said this move will benefit students as they will learn from experienced teachers. “The state universities have huge vacancies. Recruitment of new teachers is also not easy. It would at least help universities maintain existing teachers,” he said.Madras University former vice-chancellor P Duraisamy asked the state govt to increase the age of retirement in a phased manner without affecting the hiring of the freshers. “Instead of increasing the retirement age from 60 to 65 years, the state govt should consider increasing it to 62 years in the first phase, and increase it to 65 after a few years,” he said.Tamil Nadu Federation of Universities Faculty Association (TANFUFA) said as many as 378 professors are set to retire from the state universities in the next two years and the vacancies may go closer to 50%.“Extension of retirement age will not impede appointing new professors at the entry level. This will also help the universities to maintain the research standards,” said D Baskaran, general secretary of TANFUFA.He also said states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh have increased the retirement age for professors following UGC’s recommendation.
