THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has intervened to address the complaint of guest lecturers in colleges across the state that their remuneration has been pending for many months. The higher education department will bring out detailed guidelines to ensure that guest lecturers are paid their remuneration in a timely manner every month.
TNIE had earlier reported that majority of around 3,000 guest lectures in colleges across the state have been languishing without pay for many months due to apathy of the officials in issuing approval orders.
In the wake of the report, Higher Education Minister R Bindu convened a high-level meeting on Thursday to address the issue.
The meeting decided to evolve a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for payment of guest lecturers. From now on, guest lecturer aspirants will not have to get their certificates verified annually. Instead, they need to carry out one-time online registration for the purpose.
A special registration option will be provided for guest faculty who once get approval order from the office of the Deputy Director (DD) of Collegiate Education. This registration will enable them to work in any college in the state. The DD office concerned need to only examine if the appointment is in order.
“After appointing a guest lecturer, it will be mandatory for the principal concerned to submit the proposal to the DD office within a month. The proposal will be given quick approval and their remuneration will also be disbursed without delay,” the minister said.
Increased workload
Meanwhile, an official who attended the meeting on Thursday said the guest lecturers’ demand to raise their remuneration as per the increased workload will also be considered favourably by the government.
Many guest lecturers were entitled to an extra day’s remuneration per week after certain courses faced increased demand following the introduction of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) this year. A guest lecturer is entitled to Rs 1,750 per day with a monthly cap of Rs 43,750.
“The minister has given the direction that in case a guest faculty’s workload has increased owing to the introduction of four-year UG courses, their remuneration will be commensurate with the workload,” said a deputy director of collegiate education who attended the meeting. The official added that a detailed order in this regard will be issued soon.
Other assurances given by govt
Remuneration for guest lecturers who participate in field visits, exam duties
‘On-duty’ pay for guest lectures who organise seminars, conferences
‘Adalat’ to be held in DD offices in October to address pay-related issues