BENGALURU: Over 4,000 junior guest faculty members working in government degree colleges are likely to lose their jobs in the near future. In a circular issued on Monday evening, M N Ajay Nagabhushan, Commissioner, Department of Collegiate Education, stated, “Once regular assistant professors are appointed to the college, the principals have been directed to take measures to remove junior guest faculty members working with the college.”
As per the recruitment details, over 2,160 regular lecturers are being appointed. Soon, the orders will be issued to those who have been selected. The number of junior guest lecturers likely to lose their jobs will be double the number of assistant professors being appointed. This is because regular lecturers will work for 16 hours a week as against junior lecturers who work for eight hours.
“The assistant professors will be engaged for 16 hours a week and the work load will be taken care of by them, and gradually junior guest lecturers will be removed,” said Srinivasachar N, president, Karnataka State Government First Grade Colleges Guest Faculties Association.
At present, there are over 14,000 guest faculty members working in 400 government degree colleges across the state. Most of them are working from the past 10-15 years. “If they remove us now, our families will come to the streets. None of the promises made by the present and previous governments have been met till now,” said Srinivasachar.
The department has also directed the principals of colleges to consider those with NET, SLET and PhD while recruiting guest lecturers.The association members said that they will meet the Commissioner on Wednesday to discuss the issue. If officials do not come to their rescue, they intend to hold a Vidhan Soudha Chalo protest with their families, they said.