Guest Teachers Working in Govt 1st Grade Colleges Demand Regularization of their Service
Mangaluru: A group of guest teachers working in Government First Grade Colleges in Dakshina Kannada staged a protest on Thursday, 7 December near Clock Tower Circle/in front of Mini Vidhana Soudha in Mangaluru, as part of a State-wide agitation demanding regularisation of their service.
Speaking during the protest, Dhiraj Kumar, president of the district unit of the State Guest Teachers’ Welfare Association, said that over 600 guest lecturers are working in government-grade colleges affiliated with Mangalore University. “Several guest lecturers are working in government pre-university colleges in Dakshina Kannada. We are experienced and qualified teachers, whose services have been taken for over a decade against have beenurer posts. The government should regularise our services,” he added
Guest lecturer Rajesh Shetty is among many guest lecturers in Dakshina Kannada district, who have cleared the National Eligibility Test and State Level Eligibility Test to qualify for the post of Assistant Professor. “As appointments are not being done at regular intervals, we are forced to work as guest lecturers,” he said. Jayalalita and K. Vinuta, who have been servJayalalithaast lecturers for over 16 years, said guest lecturers are working on par with regular lecturers in shaping the careers of students. “While we continue to get a meagre amount as monthly honorarium, as against regular lecturers, who draw salaries in lakhs,” Ms Jayalalita said. “Delay in regularisation of our service is leading to discrimination of guest lecturers in the campus and students are not giving respect to them,” said Ms Vinutha.
Sheena G., who is among 17 guest lecturers serving in the Government First Grade College for Women in Puttur, has been serving as a guest lecturer for 13 years. “We are all serving with the hope that the government will regularise other services and put an end to our exploitation,” he said. Guest lecturer N. Satish said when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was the Leader of the Opposition in the earlier legislative Assembly, he had empathised with guest lecturers and favoured regularisation. “With Siddaramaiah at the helm now, we are hopeful of a positive response,” he said.
The guest lecturers called on the Joint Director of Collegiate Education Ramegowda and submitted a memorandum demanding regularisation of their service. “If the government fails to decide during the ongoing session, we will be forced to intensify our protest,” said association district unit General Secretary Mahantesh Doddamani.
