<p>Bengaluru: Officials in the Higher Education Department have suggested setting a three-year deadline for guest lecturers at government first-grade colleges to obtain qualifications prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).</p>.<p>At a meeting between the officials of the Higher Education and Law departments, plans to extend the tenure of guest lecturers for the current academic year were also floated.</p>.<p>The High Court order mandating the government to appoint only those who meet the UGC’s eligibility criteria – lecturers must either have a PhD or have cleared NET/KSET – has plunged the future of thousands of guest lecturers in uncertainty, given that more than 5,500 of those working at government first-grade colleges do not have these qualifications.</p>.Fee reduction revives hopes for core branches in Karnataka's govt engineering colleges.<p>An official from the Higher Education Department said that they were mulling extending the service of guest lecturers on humanitarian grounds. “Many of them have been working for years for a small honorarium, but do not have the qualifications prescribed by UGC. We are trying to find a solution that is in keeping with the High Court’s order. The CM will hold discussions on this issue, and a decision will be taken thereafter,” the official said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Officials in the Higher Education Department have suggested setting a three-year deadline for guest lecturers at government first-grade colleges to obtain qualifications prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).</p>.<p>At a meeting between the officials of the Higher Education and Law departments, plans to extend the tenure of guest lecturers for the current academic year were also floated.</p>.<p>The High Court order mandating the government to appoint only those who meet the UGC’s eligibility criteria – lecturers must either have a PhD or have cleared NET/KSET – has plunged the future of thousands of guest lecturers in uncertainty, given that more than 5,500 of those working at government first-grade colleges do not have these qualifications.</p>.Fee reduction revives hopes for core branches in Karnataka's govt engineering colleges.<p>An official from the Higher Education Department said that they were mulling extending the service of guest lecturers on humanitarian grounds. “Many of them have been working for years for a small honorarium, but do not have the qualifications prescribed by UGC. We are trying to find a solution that is in keeping with the High Court’s order. The CM will hold discussions on this issue, and a decision will be taken thereafter,” the official said.</p>