VILLUPURAM: Around 60 guest lecturers of the Government University Constituent Arts College in Thiruvennainallur protested on Monday urging college authorities to record their attendance properly. This comes after the principal allegedly asked them not to sign the staff registry but continue working for the day, here.
The institute's guest lecturers come under Annamalai University that includes two more UC arts colleges in Kallakurichi and Thittakudi from the region. Sources said that the University pays the guest lecturers' salary but it is not standardised, as staff in each campus receive a different range.
Speaking about being told to not mark their attendance, G Appasamy, a Tamil lecturer from the arts college, explained, "Due to the false absences recorded, our number of working days will be cut, leading to a reduction in our salary. Already, guest lecturers work for a meagre salary despite having all qualifications to be enrolled into regular posts. Even then, our salary is reduced by these tactics by the college administration."
But, officials of varsity, and the office of the higher education minister spoke to the principal, and ordered the guest lecturers to sign the attendance and continue working, said official sources.
V Thangaraj, Tamil Nadu All Government College UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers Association president told The New Indian Express, "About 60 guest and 10 permanent lecturers are present in the arts college here. It is the same across all the university arts colleges in the State. In some places, the guest lecturers will be the department head, instead of a permanent professor. The notion behind this is unclear as the college administration fails to recruit staff and pay them according to prescribed standard."
We are all UGC qualified but the individual college administrations fail to pay salaries, and even the arrear amount, he added.
He further alleged that the yearly income for guest lecturers was set at Rs 2,20,000 for all but every college pays at least Rs 10,000 lesser with some paying as low as Rs 1,85,000. Similarly, the arrear amount for these lecturers must be paid at Rs 60,000 (a break up of Rs 5000 per month) but most receive lesser, he charged.
The association demanded that the government must intervene, and inspect the principals at the government arts colleges under Annamalai University in Kallakurichi, Thittakudi and Thiruvennainallur. They also demanded a permanent principal of eligible calibre to run these colleges instead of allegedly under-qualified ones now.