By Arfat Khan
Jammu: Clamouring high about quality education, the department of higher education in J&K Union Territory still following the discreet colonial era practice of exploitation of those who are considered as foundation stone of the country.
Superseding it’s earlier order dated 22/07/2019 wherein the contractual lecturers were engaged on fix salary of Rs 28,000/month, the new order issued on 23/08/2019 left dry the most wretched lot in higher education with paltry monthly emoluments of Rs 300/per lecture.
Ironically, a labourer here in J&K UT is drawing Rs 450 to Rs 500/ day.
The order issued by HED is an insult to the highly educated unemployed lot who are engaged for teaching purpose in Government degree colleges” said one contractual lecturer Dr Khalid Hussain.
This tughlaqi order has double whammy for the highly educated contractual lecturers. ” The order stated that only Rs 300/ lecture will be paid. But, the college administration exploited their services from 9 to 5 which amounts to 8 hours duty.
“The administration has opened government degree colleges on wholesale which entirely being run by the contractual lecturers. How quality of education can be ensured when the government is treating their adhoc teachers in these colleges worst than labourers” said another contractual lecturer Dr Sanjay Kumar.
The latest order of HED evidently proves that government is not serious about quality education and just making lofty claims merely on ever increasing numbers, averred Dr Sanjay.
It’s would not be out of place to mentioned here that every year government is adding hundreds of new colleges with cosmetic statements. But, surprisingly the 40% of teaching staff in all these existing GDC’s is comprised of need base lecturers who are either NET, SLET, JRF, SRF and PhD qualifiers.
In such a despicable situation, the government policy pertaining to opening of new colleges by engaging gigantic battalion of temperorary teachers appears to be an ill conceived idea manufactured in civil secretariat albeit ground acknowledgment.
Sharing their woes aggrieved contractual lecturers said “This order is discriminatory in nature. “We will be paid Rs 300/lecture and on an average in old colleges a need base teacher deliver 3 lecture. Whereas, the average working days in such situation would be around 12 to 14 days. Thus, at the end of the month we will get only around Rs 15000.
In newly opened colleges, the adhoc lecturer would able to get less than Rs 10000 as their they will be able to get only one lecture in a day, added Dr Sanjay Kumar.
Allaying apprehensions of aggrieved contractual lecturers, Secretary HED Talat Parvez Rohella while talking to the JKGN said” The order is logically correct in its application and will provide more income to the contractual lecturers. Apart, after delivering their set count of lecture, one is at freedom to work anywhere for extra earning instead of sitting idle in the college for entire day.
On the quality of education in an era of contractual teaching faculty, Rohella said” Regular or contractual – teachers are the most honest lot of society who always delivered best to their students even under worst conditions for the development of nation.