“J&K Government’s Higher Education Department offers to contractual appointees salary of Just Rs 28000 a month which is just half of that what their contemporaries get in most of the states and union territories of the countr
Usually academicians of great repute are invited for guest lectures very rarely on special occasions by the managements of colleges and universities in different parts of the country but surprisingly the Jammu & Kashmir Government’s Higher Education Department has choosen to engage contractual appointees of the previous years for guest lecturers at Degree Colleges instead of engaging them for full one academic session. While the fact remains that basic salary of level 10 equivalent to the salary of Assistant Professors is being offered to contractual appointees and guest lecturers in degree colleges and universities in different parts of the country, the J&K Government’s Higher Education Department offers to contractual appointees salary of Just Rs 28000 a month which is just half of that what their contemporaries get in most of the states and union territories of the country. Even if the decision of guest lectuers is to be enforced for a limited period of six months just to enforce uniformity in the timing of academic sessions at Kashmir Colleges as per National Education Policy, the decision to call contractual appointees of yesteryears for guest lectuers instead of engaging them for full academic session will be tantamount to deny contractual appointees of yesteryears the opportunities to conduct classes for a full academic session and deny students the right of access to teachers for a full academic session.
“Since this is not the right time for the Government to enter into any controversy over the smooth functioning of teaching in Kashmir Colleges in view of the timing of the annual examinations already finalised by the universities in Kashmir , it would be in interests of both the students and as well as the contractual appointees of yesteryears to continue re-engagement policy in the larger academic interests of the students who would be now desperate to have easy accessibility to teachers of all subjects ahead of the examinations. This is the time to extend hassle free teaching facilities to students but not to enter into a controversy which can prove detrimental for their performance in the annual examinations to be held by the universities in a month or two.”
Offering guest lectures and denying re-engagement for a full academic session to the contractual appointees of yesteryears is in fact an arrangement which goes against the academic interests of the students who will be desperate to have free access to teachers of all subjects after returning to classes by first week of March and sit in their final examinations within a month or two. Providing hassle free teaching facility to students in some subjects and deny them it in other subjects ahead of the final examinations will obviously generate a sense of frustration among the students in degree colleges across Kashmir. Since this is not the right time for the Government to enter into any controversy over the smooth functioning of teaching in Kashmir Colleges in view of the timing of the annual examinations already finalised by the universities in Kashmir , it would be in interests of both the students and as well as the contractual appointees of yesteryears to continue re-engagement policy in the larger academic interests of the students who would be now desperate to have easy accessibility to teachers of all subjects ahead of the examinations. This is the time to extend hassle free teaching facilities to students but not to enter into a controversy which can prove detrimental for their performance in the annual examinations to be held by the universities in a month or two.
