Guest lecturers scramble for odd jobs as future turns tense

A number of guest lecturers, who were working in government degree colleges across the State and rendered jobless as a result of a recent directive of the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) to redeploy permanent faculty from aided colleges to government colleges, have started looking for alternative means of livelihood.

Gudadhaiah was working as a guest lecturer in the commerce department of a government college in Shikaripura, Shimoga district for nearly 10 years till he was relieved from his job. 

“Since I lost my job, I have been working with the KMF (Karnataka Milk Federation) as financial assistant on a part-time basis. I am also giving tuitions to supplement my income. I hope things will get better soon,” he said. 

At a recent meeting between guest lecturers and DCE, its commissioner Nandakumar B G had advised lecturers to look for alternative jobs as the department was not ready to commit to fulfilling any of the demands of the guest lecturers.

Kumar Naik, another former lecturer, has been struggling to make ends meet since he lost his job. He used to teach English at a government college in Tiptur. 

“I am not limiting myself to any particular kind of job. Although I was an English teacher, I have also studied library management. I am looking at finding a job in this field. I am left with no source of income,” said Naik. 

Others like Jyothi E, who used to teach Economics at a government college in Bangalore, have been sitting at home hoping for the best. 

“Not only me, but a number of my colleagues are resigned to the same fate,” she said.
 According to Lokesh P C, vice-president, Karnataka State Government Degree College Guest Lecturers’ Association, 400 out of the over 10,000 guest lecturers have been out of work for the past two months since the government’s directive.

Guest lecturers have been demanding regularisation of their posts, especially in the light of the fact that a number of them have been working for many years. Timely payment of salaries is another major demand. 

The move by the department to redeploy permanent staff had caused anxiety among the guest lecturers. 

To press for their demands, members of the association had held a protest outside the chief minister’s residence and even outside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum during the recent winter session of the legislature, but in vain.