Students of rural government colleges bear the brunt of guest lecturers' protest in TN

TIRUCHY: With guest lecturers in government arts and science colleges across the district heeding to a statewide protest call and boycotting classes since Monday, students in institutions located in rural areas are facing the brunt owing to their greater dependence on such contractual teaching staff.

As part of a statewide protest pressing for the implementation of a five-point charter of demands that includes pay revision and job security, guest lecturers in government colleges across Tiruchy intensified their agitation earlier this week by abstaining from handling classes.

A section of the faculty members has also left for Chennai to participate in a larger state-level demonstration.

While colleges located within city limits reported limited disruption due to the availability of permanent faculty members, nearly half the classes scheduled in a day in several rural institutions, particularly in undergraduate courses in which guest faculty members handle the bulk of teaching hours, have taken a hit.

R Velu, a guest lecturer at the Thanthai Periyar Government Arts and Science College, said over 30 guest lecturers at the campus boycotted classes, while more than 10 lecturers travelled to Chennai to join the protest.

"Guest lecturers form the backbone of teaching in many colleges, yet we are often assigned a heavier workload than permanent staff without job security or benefits," he said. Higher education department officials confirmed that institutions within the city limits were able to manage classes to an extent during the protest due to a higher proportion of permanent faculty members.

"In colleges such as those in Thiruverumbur, permanent staff members have been managing classes and the impact has been relatively limited," a senior official said. A case in point is the Government Arts and Science College in Srirangam which M Natarajan, a guest lecturer, said has only about 10 permanent faculty members compared to over 40 guest lecturers.

"Out of four periods in a shift, at least half the classes were not conducted as guest lecturers are not extending support," he told. Delving upon the difficulties, Natarajan said a B Ed examination scheduled on Tuesday was conducted after a few guest lecturers extended support and the higher education department deputed lecturers from private colleges as invigilators.

Meanwhile, a UG student at the Government Arts and Science College in Lalgudi said, "Internal assessments and exams are nearing but we are left to study on our own, without guidance. Rural students like us cannot afford private coaching; this disruption is seriously affecting our preparation."

The protesting guest lecturers, on the other hand, said their agitation is driven by long-pending demands including job regularisation, implementation of the University Grants Commission-prescribed monthly pay, salary for all 12 months, a retirement gratuity of Rs 25 lakh and paid maternity leave. T Srinivasan, a guest lecturer at the Srirangam college, said he has been working for over 15 years without social security.

"I met with an accident two years ago and am still burdened with debts of over Rs 3 lakh. Every year, we are denied salary for one month as our contract ends in the 11th month," he told. The guest lecturers warned that the disruption could intensify in the coming days if the government failed to initiate talks or provide assurances.

The story is reported by Vivanesh Parthiban of The New Indian Express