Unfair treatment of teachers must end

The ongoing strike by guest lecturers serving in government degree colleges and teaching in postgraduate courses has drawn attention to their pathetic plight and the poor conditions in which they work. The lecturers, who teach the younger generations and shape their minds and lives, are treated like wage labourers and have been routinely denied their due and legitimate rights. Many of them hold PhD degrees and have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) and are equally or even more qualified than regular teachers on the rolls. They also work for an equal number of hours. But the maxim equal pay for equal work is wantonly flouted in their case and they are paid much less than the regular staff. Till recently, they were paid a paltry salary of Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000 a month. The government has now doubled this to Rs 26,000 to Rs 32,000, depending on qualifications and experience, but this is more of an eyewash. It also comes with a catch, because with the increase in salaries, guest lecturers will have to engage classes for 15 hours a week, which is almost double the workload of regular teachers.

Guest lecturers will now be hired for the entire academic year and not on a semester basis as was the practice earlier. This, too, is an unjust practice as the government ensures that there is a break in service for the lecturers at the end of the annual contract before reappointing them for the next academic year. The objective is to ensure that they do not stake claim to a permanent job on grounds of continuous service. As a result, they will not be eligible for statutory allowances like provident fund, gratuity, medical reimbursement or leave travel concession. The fact that some of these teachers have been serving for over a decade only shows that vacancies exist. But instead of filling them up permanently, the government has resorted to appointing guest lecturers with the sole objective of saving some money. This is also true of contract employees in other departments. By denying them their rights and claims with impunity, the Karnataka government has emerged as an unfair employer.

‘Equal pay for equal work’ means there should not be any discrimination in terms of salaries and other allowances among those engaged in similar work within an organisation. It flows from the constitutional right to equality. The government should not only absorb eligible teachers on the rolls but should shun the unhealthy practice of appointing guest lecturers against regular vacancies. The humiliation of teachers, who deserve the highest respect from society, must end forthwith.