Guest lecturers in Karnataka to boycott PU exam evaluation over job security

Pre-University (PU) guest lecturers in Karnataka have decided to boycott PU evaluation, demanding that they be considered employed and be paid till the evaluation process is over. The statement from the Government Pre-University College Guest Lecturers’ Association comes after the state government released a circular on June 8 stating that guest lecturers had to be considered relieved from April 21.

“Lockdown has been enforced across the state from April 21. In this background, all PU classes have been stopped and the academic year has come to a close. So, coming into effect from April 21, it has been directed to principals that all guest lecturers have to be relieved from duty. After April 21, no honorarium shall be provided to guest lecturers without prior permission from the government,” the circular from the Karnataka government had said.

The Government Pre-University College Guest Lecturers’ Association is affiliated to the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), Karnataka chapter.

The statement by the association mentioned several reasons for the boycott, including:

>> According to the June 8 order, a draconian and inhumane decision to relieve 1,835 guest lecturers from April 21 has been taken by the PU department. How can relieved lecturers officially conduct evaluation?

>> During the pandemic, despite not having any wages or job security, we taught students. We consider it our moral responsibility to conduct the examination and evaluation. However, our hands are tied due to the immoral decision by the government to relieve us suddenly before the conclusion of the academic year.

>> The immoral government is the obstacle for us to perform our duties and we are boycotting the evaluation. Neither are we bonded laborers nor is the government the zamindar for us to evaluate without pay or job security.

The statement further placed forward the demand that all 1,835 guest lecturers had to be considered employed till the end of the evaluation process and paid for the same, scrapping the circular released on June 8.

Speaking to TNM, Rajesh Bhat, a member of the AISEC Karnataka chapter, said, “Guest lecturers have played a very important role in keeping the quality of the education high in our state and the government must not take decisions that push us into a crisis. Additionally, by taking guest lecturers, the government has saved a lot of money as permanent faculty will have to be paid much more. So, the government will have to come to our support in times like these. We also feel that the government must increase our pay as it is just Rs 9,000 per month now.”