Contract lecturers plan rally tomorrow

Contract lecturers of state-run universities across 13 districts are gearing up for a protest rally in Vijayawada on November 14, seeking regularisation of their services.

VIJAYAWADA: Contract lecturers of state-run universities across 13 districts are gearing up for a protest rally in Vijayawada on November 14, seeking regularisation of their services.

The contract lecturers working at various universities in the State are demanding the government to regularise their services with immediate effect in recognition of their consistent contributions to the education sector. Recently, the State government had initiated the steps to recruit lecturers in the State universities through Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).

The contract lecturers are demanding the government to regularise their services first and then go for recruitment based on the shortages.

The contract lecturers alleged that the State government is overruling the Supreme court’s verdict of equal work and equal pay by paying less salary for the contract lecturers.  As per the UGC guidelines, they are entitled to receive a pay of Rs 48,600 per month, but 90 percent of them are drawing less than Rs 23,000 a month, they alleged.

The contract teachers are as qualified as assistant professors. They are UGC-JRF or NET qualified and some of them have doctoral degrees. Moreover, they have been working for the past 10-20 years, the contract teachers argued.  

In the most renowned universities, contract teachers are being paid a fixed amount ranging between Rs 16,500 and Rs 23,000 a month.

Call for pay parity, justice  

K Yamini Jyotsna, contract lecturer working in Nannaya University, said, “The State government is least concerned about us. We are serving in the universities for the past 15 years. We are equally qualified as the regular lecturers, but we are drawing much less salary than them.”

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