THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: DESPITE several requests, salary of guest lecturers of University Institute of Technology (UIT) centres under Kerala University seems to be stuck in procedural delays. Sources said many guest lecturers have not been paid since July.
“I have not been getting my salary for the past six months. UIT section officer at the university headquarters promised me that the salary dispensation would be streamlined. But nothing seems to have happened. There are over 100 guest lecturers in 29 UIT centres in the state who are forced to borrow money to meet our expenses. Some take private tuition to eke out a living while some others trying for other jobs. Some of my colleagues have even quit the jobs without asking for the pending salary,” said Ramesh Jayan, a lecturer.
The guest lecturers are paid on an hourly basis. A junior guest lecturer gets `1,130 a day while a senior guest lecturer is paid `1,365. Since 2007, guest lecturers have been getting `500 per hour and a maximum of `25,000 a month only if they put in 16 hours a week. Since the government has not revised the pay for the past several years, it puts undue pressure on these teachers.
Add to it is the procedural delays which hold up the salary payment, sources said.
A circular issued by the Directorate of Collegiate Education dated October 9, 2013, says while submitting the salary bills of guest lecturers, the college authorities are required to give a certification stating there are no such pending bills. And the head of the institute has to provide details of classes taken by the lecturers to the varsity to get its nod.
This approval takes a long time, leading to delay in calculating the salary.
Kerala University vice-chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai told TNIE that the delay was from the UIT centres in sending the details of lecturers who conducted classes on an hourly basis.“There is no delay from the part of the varsity. It is the duty of UIT centres to send the details to the varsity on a monthly basis. Moreover, we can’t give remuneration to the guest lecturers on a monthly basis. But we can give a consolidated pay in three months if the bill gets passed. In fact, the procedure is the same for all guest lecturers working under Kerala University,” said Pillai.
Pay matters
The guest lecturers are paid on an hourly basis. A junior guest lecturer gets `1,130 a day while a senior guest lecturer is paid `1,365. Since 2007, guest lecturers have been getting `500 per hour