: Bharathidasan University has received oral instructions from the Higher Education Department for settling salary dues of guest lecturers in 10 of its erstwhile constituent units that had been converted into government arts and science colleges.
The directive follows a representation made to the Minister for Higher Education by Association of University Teachers, detailing the plight of the guest lecturers, and urging the department of higher education to take up the responsibility of paying salary to all the temporary teaching and non-teaching staff.
In his representation, S. Bala Murugan, State General Secretary, AUT, reminded the higher education department that the ten consituent colleges of Bharathidasan University had been converted into government colleges in two phases in 2019 and 2020. A government order was issued then to the effect that the salary of the temporary teachers and non-teaching staff shall be paid by the universities concerned.
However, the 363 guest lecturers, 205 hourly-basis lecturers and 51 PTA staff besides 92 non-teaching staff have not been paid their salaries since December 2021, he said.
Though the monthly salary of the guest lecturers in governent colleges had been enhanced to ₹20,000 per month since January 1, 2020, the benefit has not been extended to those in the 10 constituent colleges of Bharathidasan University, he said.
The three nomenclatures: guest lecturers, hourly-basis lecturers and PTA staff, must be classified under single category: Guest Lecturers, and they must be paid enhanced salary of ₹20,000 at the earliest, Prof. Bala Murugan said.
