Minister for Information Technology and Information and Public Relations Palle Raghunatha Reddy said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was committed to regularising the services of contract workers in government colleges in spite of the financial crisis in which it was mired in post-bifurcation.
The demand for regularisation was justified as the contract lecturers have been working for over 10 years for paltry wages and yet made a valuable contribution to a significant improvement in the pass percentage of government colleges, he said.
Addressing a seminar on ‘Government’s Role in Higher Education in the New State of Andhra Pradesh’ organised by A.P Government Colleges Contract Lecturers’ Association (APGCCLA) here on Saturday, Mr. RaghunathaReddy said the Chief Minister was working hard to solve the plethora of problems faced by the State after bifurcation and there was no question of his backing out of the promises made at the time of elections.
Mr. Naidu was concerned with the state of education sector and was aware of the crucial role that contract workers played in the performance of government colleges.
He would certainly look into their demands in spite of the financial burden entailed by regularisation and related obligations.
“I will arrange for a presentation by the contract lecturers in the next meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, send those who can convey the message effectively”, Mr. Reddy told the participants. Minister for BC Welfare and Excise K. Ravindra exuded confidence that the Chief Minister would redress the genuine grievances of contract lecturers.
Krishna-Guntur districts’ MLC (teachers’ constituency) K.S. Lakshman Rao said nearly 3,900 out of 5,000-plus lecturers in government junior colleges were working on a contract basis.
Their number in government degree colleges was about 700.
Their average years of service were 15 and they could not be expected to toil further for meagre wages.
