Adarsha Vidyalaya's guest lecturers not paid for five months

BENGALURU: Around 814 guest lecturers from 74 Adarsha Vidyalayas across Karnataka have not received salaries for five months since June this year.

Rajendra Prasad, president of PU Guest Lecturers Association, Gundlupet, said, “None of the guest lecturers working in Adarsha Vidyalayas have received salaries for five months. Our salary is Rs 14,000 per month, with no allowances. How can one manage without salaries, especially during big festivals like Deepavali. Some guest lecturers have started working in supermarkets part-time after college hours, while others have joined coaching centres or run tuition classes at home to pay for expenses and rent.”

Another lecturer in Bengaluru South district said, “Whenever the department appoints us, we are given a job for 10 months in each academic year. However, the salary they pay is only for nine months, which is from June to February. They don’t pay the March salary, stating that classes get over for PUC-I students. We also work as examiners during PUC-II board exams, and are not paid any salary for the same.”

In 2024, the state government had selected 74 Adarsha Government High Schools to upgrade them to PU colleges, to provide quality higher education for economically backward students only in Commerce and Science streams.

As a result, thousands of students got admission. Prasad added, “As per the GO, a total of Rs 7.4 crore was allocated to upgrade these colleges. The order also stated that new desks, science lab, and computer lab equipment, would be installed at the start of this college. However, none of the colleges have received the upgradation.”

Meanwhile, when TNIE tried reaching Bharat S, Director, Department of School Education (Pre-University), he was unavailable for comment.

An official from Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa’s office, however, said, “The salaries will be credited soon. The reason for the delay is that the file is with the finance department. It will be cleared.”

The story is reported by Rashmi Patil for The New Indian Express