Govt exploiting contractual lecturers in colleges, schools

Srinagar, Feb 25: The contractual lecturers working in different colleges and universities across the valley have accused the state government of ignoring them.

Lecturers working in higher secondary institutions said that despite having good qualifications they were being paid meagre salaries. “Contractual lecturers have different issues. Meagre salaries and no job security are among the major problems,” said Sahabudin, President of Jammu and Kashmir College Contractual Lecturers Association.

“A pay band for the contractual lecturers is Rs 18,000 and 12,000: lecturers with Ph. D degree or Net/SET are paid Rs18,000 while the others get Rs12,000. Our salary is half of the salary of a contractual lectures working at Government Medical Colleges. They take Rs40,000 per month,” he said.

He also said that applying and re-applying every year was a “hectic process”.

“After applying each year, most of the times we are sent to new colleges.”

Another lecturer, Altaf Rashid, posted in Anantnag Degree College, said their salaries were not being paid monthly.

“Our salaries are released after six months, in an insulting manner. We also have families and other responsibilities. Every month, we have to pay for our children’s education. Pay after six months does not serve any purpose,” he said.

The lecturers said that the government was yet to decide the salary structure in accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines.

“The Supreme Court of India has passed directions of ‘equal wage for equal work’, but the government is yet to decide about our salary improvement. The government must enhance our monthly salaries and address our issues,” said Adil Ahmad, a contractual lecturer.

The lecturers working in the Higher Education Department or in universities feel overburdened due to the extra work put on them by senior professors.

“I am overburdened with the work in my department. My professors give me extra work. I even have to manage their classes,” said a contractual lecturer in the Education Department at Kashmir University.

“Government recently came up with the proposal of regularising the services of more than 60,000 temporarily workers in different government departments. But no one is talking about us.”

Principal Secretary Higher Education, Dr Asgar Samoon, said the government was planning to enhance the salaries of college contractual lecturers.

“Basically, these contractual lecturers do not have NET or Ph. D degrees. Some of these lecturers are over aged now. They have not qualified the Public Service Commission (PSC) exams for the permanent posts. We have transferred one thousand posts to JKPSC. They should apply for such posts,” he said.

He said their salaries would be paid every month and on time.

“If they have any issue, they should contact me,” he said.