Punjabi University to hire guest faculty at monthly stipend of Rs 15K

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 26

Punjabi University will hire NET-qualified guest faculty to teach at its constituent colleges on a monthly stipend of Rs15,000. While the notification has received flak from different sections of society, especially NET-qualified and PhD holders, the university claims the notification is aimed at bringing uniformity in hiring guest faculty for constituent colleges who will be paid from the parent teacher association (PTA) fund.

The new direction has been issued from the office of Director, Constituent Colleges. It states that the guest faculty will be hired at a monthly stipend of Rs 15,000 in case they are NET qualified, while it will be Rs 13,000 in case they are not. The hiring will be carried out for one semester only at a time.

Gursewak Singh, a NET qualified and PSU student organisation leader, said, “Students on the campus have decided to protest against the reduction in payments to teaching faculty to be hired afresh. The payment is too low.”

Students also pointed out that earlier the university was paying Rs 21,600, including dearness allowance, to such guest faculty. “Now they have changed the terms”, the student pointed out and said, “We will hold meetings on Tuesday and start a process to protest against the decision.”

When contacted, University Vice-Chancellor Professor Arvind said the notification was aimed at bringing uniformity in the process. “Earlier the principals and heads were hiring the faculty members on their own terms. At times, non-NET qualified individuals were preferred over NET qualified individuals. Therefore, this notification is aimed at ensuring uniformity.”

He said, “It is being represented as a measure to reduce the salary. But it is not so.” The university otherwise has four categories of teaching faculty— regular staff, contractual, lecture-based teachers and those guest faculty at constituent colleges who are being paid from the PTA funds.

He said, “The payment being made to such individuals is very low. We understand that, but we have to work as per the modal which is already in place. Also, we will hire very few people in this category.”

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