Extension lecturers not to get revised pay

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, December 7

In a major setback to over 2,000 extension (guest) lecturers working in government colleges across the state, the Directorate, Higher Education, (DHE) has directed principals of the colleges to pay honorarium to the lecturers as per the old instructions which ensure Rs 250 per lecture with a maximum of Rs 18,000 per month.

The directives have come at a time when the lecturers have been eagerly waiting for implementation of the announcement made by Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma around two months ago in view of the High Court’s order in this regard.

Sharma had promised the lecturers to fix their salary at Rs 25,000 per month.

While interacting with mediapersons in Badli town of the district on December 4, the minister had claimed to pay the fixed salary from the ongoing academic session to the lecturers.

“Since the issue of honorarium as per the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is still pending with the Finance Department, hence extension lecturers be paid honorarium as per the instructions issued on June 5, 2013, and March 4, 2014, in this respect,” said the DHE in its communiqué sent to the college principals today.

These extension lectures are engaged as resource person to cope with the shortage of lecturers in the government colleges. Earlier, they were relieved in mid November every year for over one-and-half month and were called again in January up to April, but the Education Department did not relieve them this time and they are working in the colleges as usual.

“Honorarium of the extension lecturers is due for the past four months. We were hoping to get Rs 25,000 per month because the Education Minister had promised us the same, but new directives have dashed our hopes completely,” said an extension lecturer.

Another lecturer said: “The Education Department is doing injustice to us by not fixing our salary despite the court’s order.”