SPPU hikes student honorarium, expedites contractual hiring to prevent academic disruption

Pune: The management council of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on Saturday approved an increase in student honorariums and set a strict deadline for teacher recruitment.The council, representing students across Pune, Nashik, and Ahmednagar, met at the university's main building to address long-pending demands and administrative bottlenecks.The council approved increasing the hourly honorarium for the university's ‘earn and learn' scheme from Rs55 to Rs65. The programme supports undergraduate and postgraduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (with an annual family income of less than Rs8 lakh), allowing them to sustain their studies through technical and non-technical work."Following a detailed discussion, we decided that for the benefit of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the hourly pay must be increased to Rs65," said management council member Ravindra Shingnapurkar. Under the scheme, students typically work three hours daily for up to six days a week.To prevent a repeat of last year, where teaching posts remained vacant well into the new semester, the council mandated that the recruitment process for contractual teachers be completed by June 15.While the university is also in the process of filling 111 regular teaching positions, Shingnapurkar noted that those appointments may face delays. "Many applicants are yet to submit their academic, teaching, and research credentials. We will set a time limit for them to comply, after which interviews will begin. However, since this will take time, we have approved the immediate recruitment of contractual staffers to ensure students do not suffer in the upcoming academic year," he said.In another significant win for the student community, the university registrar confirmed a rollback of the proposed entrance examination fee hike for the 2026-27 academic year.The decision follows a two-day strike by the National Student Union of India (NSUI). The fees will now return to the current rates: Rs600 for open category students (down from the proposed Rs1,000) and Rs400 for reserved categories (down from the proposed Rs800).Additionally, the university will review its list of extra credit courses. Courses not mandated by govt regulations or governing bodies will now be made optional, reducing the academic and financial burden on students.
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