Guest lecturers in government arts and science colleges have appealed to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to regularise their temporary services.
The teachers pointed out that in 2010, during the previous DMK government under M. Karunanidhi, guest lecturers had been promised in writing by the then Higher Education Secretary, K. Ganesan, that their services would be regularised. In the past decade, the government had increased their salary from ₹6,000 to ₹20,000 last year.
Although the government announced in the Assembly in 2018 that the posting of guest lecturers would be streamlined, no action was taken. In 2021, when the government started the process, the code of conduct for the Assembly election came into force, and there was no relief despite legal hurdles having been cleared, the teachers have said.
The Tamil Nadu Government College Guest Lecturers’ Welfare Association (shift I and II) said that of the over 1,140 guest lecturers, many had crossed 40 years of age since their appointment but they still struggled for job security. Since their salaries were classified by the government under the head of expenses, they were not eligible for bank loans. They urged the government to list the payment under the head of salaries.
Women guest lecturers should be given maternity leave with at least three months’ salary. For those with ailments to avail themselves of treatment, the government must introduce a group insurance scheme, association president B. Senthil Kumar said.
The government should also issue no-objection certificates to allow them to continue higher education, the association said.
