The Telangana Unemployed Joint Action Committee staged a protest at the Education Minister’s office here on Saturday demanding issuance of orders for renewal of contract for 1,940 guest lecturers teaching in 132 government degree colleges in the State.
The guest lecturers were not being paid any remuneration although the online classes had begun in September last itself. As the colleges were set to re-open from February 1, the guest lecturers were a worried lot as they have neither received renewal orders nor the remuneration for the last several months.
Speaking at the protest, president of National Backward Classes Welfare Association R. Krishnaiah, vice-president G. Krishna and president of the Unemployed JAC N. Venkatesh alleged that the Education Department was conspiring against guest lecturers by not paying them salaries as only the children of poor families study in government colleges. It was an indication of the government neglect of higher education, they said.
Mr. Krishnaiah said the government was playing with the lives of unemployed youth by not taking up recruitment of teachers in government schools (40,000), aided schools (4,500), model schools (2,000), Kasturba Gandhi schools (1,200), junior colleges (4,500), degree colleges (2,400) and universities (1,800). Besides, computer teacher posts (4,000), physical education teachers (10,000), arts and crafts (5,000), librarian (3,000), junior assistant (4,000) and office subordinates (6,000) were also vacant in schools.
Further, 1,200 Group-I, 3,000 Group-II, 8,000 Group-III and 36,000 Group-IV posts were also vacant in the State government. In addition, a large number of engineering, doctor, paramedical and technical posts were vacant. Teachers eligibility test was not held for the last 7 years.
Backward Classes association representatives P. Sudhakar, N. Bhupesh Sagar, M. Chanti, R. Chandrasekhar Goud, B.C. Venkat, Charan Yadav, G. Srinivas and others participated in the protest.
