Chandigarh Govt Colleges Teachers Write To Ut Admn Seeking 5 Day Working Week

Government college teachers have renewed their demand for a five-day working week, with the Chandigarh Government Colleges Teachers’ Association (CGCTA) writing to the Chandigarh administration, seeking the shift starting in the 2026-27 academic session.

Following the demand, the directorate of higher education (DHE) has sought responses from principals of eight government colleges, and most have submitted their views—with signatures of students, teaching, and non-teaching staff—broadly supporting the proposal.

However, responses from a few colleges are still awaited, after which officials have indicated the formal process will begin. DHE director Palika Arora said no decision has been made yet.

The demand for a five-day working week is not new. It gained momentum in April 2022, when the Chandigarh administration formally adopted the Central Civil Services (CCS) Rules—which govern central government employees on a five-day week—for its own institutions, including government colleges.

Teachers argue that since then, a structural anomaly has persisted, with college staff being bound by CCS Rules in matters of service conditions and leave, yet continuing to work a six-day week, unlike their counterparts across the administration.

The association’s case rests on several grounds. Panjab University, the affiliating university, already follows a five-day schedule for its own departments and issues academic calendars for both patterns, making coordination on examinations, admissions and research activities harder for affiliated government colleges running on a different schedule.

Several institutions around the Union Territory are already on a five-day week, including the Government College of Art (Sector 10), the Chandigarh College of Architecture, the Regional Institute of English (Sector 32), the State Institute of Education (Sector 32), the Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (Sector 26), and the Punjab Engineering College (Sector 12), along with other polytechnics and ITIs around the city. Teachers argue it is inequitable that certain government colleges alone continue on a six-day pattern.

On the regulatory front, clause 14.1 of the UGC Regulations (2010 and 2018) permit institutions to complete 180 teaching days either through a five-day week over 36 weeks or a six-day week over 30 weeks, keeping total instructional hours unchanged under either model.

The proposal submitted to the DHE also made a detailed case around the National Education Policy 2020 and the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP), arguing that expanded faculty responsibilities, including PhD supervision, continuous assessment, research publications and mentoring-demand time, that a six-day schedule does not adequately provide.

For students, particularly those pursuing honours, a two day weekend was seen as enabling research, field visits, self-study and competitive exam preparation. The adoption of CCS Rules has also reduced casual leaves for teachers to eight annually, making a structured weekend more critical to sustaining faculty productivity, the proposal noted.

Non-teaching staff too have backed the demand, citing parity with UT administration offices and Panjab University, both already on five-day schedules. The proposal also pointed to environmental gains, estimating a 15-16% reduction in energy consumption and lower commuting costs in line with green campus objectives.