Teachers may get 2-yr leave for child care

    If all goes well, the higher  education female teachers in the state will get two years paid  child care leave. Also, for the first time the  female teachers would get 180 days adoption leave on the lines  of maternity leave in case they adopt a baby. The male teachers  would also get 15 days paternity adoption leave. A provision of  special casual leave to undergo sterilisation operation under  family welfare programme will also be available to the teachers.

   These provisions are part of the new regulations on service conditions issued by the University  Grants Commission (UGC). The new regulations have increased the  maternity leave from 135 days to 180 days, which can be  available twice in the entire career. There is also a provision  of paid leave in case of miscarriage including abortion.

   However, what has been widely appreciated by the teachers is the provision of child care leave  in which women teachers may be granted leave up to two years for  taking care of their minor children. The leave can be availed  once in the entire service period. Such a provision is already  in place for Central government employees. Further, the new UGC  regulations also include 180 days leave for the female teachers  on adopting a child below one years of age. Male teachers would  get 15 days paternity leave on adopting a child.

   However, the  adoption leave would be allowed to childless teachers or those  having only one child. The new regulations have reduced  the casual leave from 14 days to eight but have made a provision  of special casual leave of ten days. This leave can be availed  by the teachers for conducting examination of a
university/public service commission/board of examination or  other similar bodies/institutions and to inspect academic  institutions attached to a statutory board. 

   This leave would  also be allowed for undergoing sterilisation operation — six  days for men and 14 days for women. Further, there is a provision of  duty leave of maximum 30 days in an academic year which might be  granted for attending conferences, congresses, symposia and  seminars on behalf of the institution, delivering lectures in  institutions and universities on invitation, working in another  Indian or foreign university, any other agency, institution or  organisation, when so deputed by the university among other things. 

   Besides, study leave, sabbatical leave and earned leave  will also be available as earlier. The higher education department  is studying the new regulations and has assured to take a
decision soon. The move will benefit over 15,000 teachers,  including over 4,000 female teachers, in UP. Teachers have  welcomed the new UGC regulations on leave. “It’s good that the UGC has
recognised the importance of child care in a family. 

  Many women  had to leave their careers midway for raising children. But now  managing career and family would be easy for women teachers,”  said Sanyukta Shukla, a teacher. “Provision for adoption leave  will be of great help particularly for single women teachers who  want to adopt babies. And, I hope state government will have no  objection in accepting it as they do not amount to any financial  burden on the state exchequer,” said Moulindu Mishra, Lucknow  University Associated College Teachers’ Association.

Source-timesofindia