HYDERABAD: More than a week after resumption of physical classes — for students of class 9 and above — majority of teachers and faculty working in junior, degree and technical colleges in the state are yet to join duties. This, as managements are only using the services of a limited staff. Worse, teachers say that their salary dues too have not been cleared for the last 9 to 10 months and they are continuing to reel under the ‘no work, no pay’ rule.
“I was hoping that the management will start paying full salaries from February, but looks like there are not going to use all the faculty any time soon,” said one of them employed with a college near Ramoji Film City. The faculty member said that the college has been paying teachers on a an hourly basis since April 2020. “The only solution to this problem is making biometric attendance compulsory for staff,” he added.
The situation at private junior colleges and schools is worse, claim teachers, with about 70% of them yet to be asked to re-join duties.
“I don’t even know whether I am still on the rolls of the college or not. When I went to college today to ask authroities why they had not asked me to rejoin duty,I was not even allowed inside. I got to know that a junior lecturer (JL) is taking the classes in my place,” said, B Thirumalesh, who has 18 years of experience as a chemistry lecturer. According to him, many colleges are using the services of JLs instead of calling in senior faculty.
Thirumalesh, who is also vice president of the Telangana Lectures JAC, said that he has been surviving on credit card and hand loans so far. “But I am not sure how long I can continue without a regular pay. About 4,000 of the 6,000 faculty working in corporate junior colleges in the state are still jobless,” he added.
The members of Telangana Engineering College Managements Association, meanwhile, said that they will be using the services of all faculty once attendance percentage improves.
“We might not be paying full salaries, but the majority of faculty are getting paid at least 50% of their salaries for conducting virtual classes. Once physical classes start with full strength, services of all faculty will be needed,” said Gautam Rao, president of the association.