Guest lecturers in government first-grade colleges across Karnataka continue to be in a precarious situation, having been on a dharna for 20 days, reports The New Indian Express. According to the report, surprisingly, opposition parties have failed to take up their demands in the ongoing session, however, student organisations Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) are set to join the cause and take to the streets soon, said sources.
In a noteworthy move, the previous BJP government addressed one of their demands by increasing their honorarium from Rs 13,000 to Rs 32,000 and raising their workload from eight hours a week to 15 hours.
Despite this, only a few BJP MLCs have engaged with the guest faculty office-bearers, while Opposition leader R Ashoka has yet to acknowledge the issue. Currently, more than 12,372 lecturers from 430 colleges are on strike, pushing for the regularisation of their services, a promise outlined in the Congress poll manifesto, states TNIE
Dr Dharmaveera KH, an office-bearer of the guest faculty association, remarked, "As LoP, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had raised the issue, following which the Congress included it in its election manifesto. Now, Siddaramaiah is keeping mum and opposition parties are also not raising the issue.” He suggested that the government could address the issue by amending the cadre and recruitment rules, similar to what New Delhi and Haryana have done. Approximately 4,000 eligible lecturers with PhD, NET, and MPhil degrees could benefit from such a move.
"There is a provision as the Supreme Court passed an order in the Karnataka government versus Umadevi case on April 10, 2006," association President Dr Hanumanthagouda R Kalmani said. He told TNIE that Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar had promised to take steps after consulting the finance and law departments when they staged a rally in Belagavi on December 7.
Kalmani argued that absorbing the 4,000 eligible guest faculty wouldn't burden the state government, as the University Grants Commission (UGC) would handle their salaries.
The strike, started on November 23, reportedly impacted over 15 lakh students, disrupting the academic cycle. A few universities may defer examinations for odd semesters, potentially affecting the next academic year.
In an effort to appease the guest faculty, the minister convened a meeting with higher education department officials on Tuesday, December 12. "Principals of all government colleges and polytechnics of the state have been instructed to allow guest lecturers to work as per rules, without any discrimination," Sudhakar posted on X.
