Govt college guest faculty members demand part-time employee status

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 24

Working for many years at minimal pay, the guest faculty of 50 government colleges in the state, have now demanded that the government should give them the status of part-time employees.

Teachers, who carry similar educational qualifications, are already working part-time. The guest faculty wants the government to pay them salaries from its coffers rather than leaving them at the mercy of PTA funds and grant-in-aid.

The president of the Guest Faculty Assistant Professor Association Government Colleges Punjab, Dr Ravinder Singh, said, “There are 962 guest faculty teachers working in various government colleges of the state. I have been working for the last 19 years. Many have been working for the last 15 years, but we are paid a minimal amount of Rs24,000 per month only.”

“On the other hand, the state government is paying Rs53,568 to part-time teachers of government colleges. That includes basic pay, grade pay and dearness allowance,” he added.

“There are 1,900 sanctioned posts of teachers in government colleges. But the state government has filled only 325. Besides, there are 250 part-time teachers. It’s 962 guest faculty teachers, who are running colleges. The government should consider our long-standing experience and accept our demands of conversion to part-time teachers,” he said.

The government should fill the remaining vacant seats, said teachers.