Regularization of Extension Lecturers in Government Colleges in Haryana – A Perfect Panacea: A Reappraisal
Dr. Ramjilal, Social Scientist, Former Principal, Dyal Singh College, Karnal (Haryana – India)
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(Samaj Weekly)- The number of private-aided colleges in the current academic session 2023-2024 is 97 while the number of government colleges is 182. Apart from these, there are also self-financed colleges in Haryana. In 182 government colleges of Haryana, 8137 posts of professors are sanctioned and out of these, 4738 posts are vacant. The recruitment of 1535 assistant lecturers has been stuck for more than a year. Whereas in government colleges, 2194 lecturers are serving on contract. They are called ‘Extension Lecturers’. All Extension Lecturers are qualified for permanent jobs. Advertisements are published in national newspapers by various colleges to recruit extension lecturers. In the advertisements given in newspapers, all those qualifications – MA, MPhil, Ph.D., research, articles’ publication, experience, NET, etc. are mentioned which are also mandatory for permanent lecturers. “Walk in Interview” is also published in newspapers. It is also clear in the advertisements that appointments will be made based on norms. Extension lecturers are selected by committees constituted as per the orders of the Haryana Government. (Memo no.kw4/36-20 10 C1G/ Dated, 4/3/20) Experts of Haryana politics believe that the appointments of extension lecturers are not done by a selection commission but by different committees of different colleges. As a result, political interference and other factors may have an impact. However, these possibilities cannot be ruled out even in the appointments made by the Selection Commission. Therefore, the government should make the selection process more transparent so that ‘expenses and slips’ can be practically eliminated and the dream of our beloved Chief Minister Manohar Lal can prove to be meaningful.
Regularization and separate cadre
There are extension lecturers in Haryana government colleges who did their PhD 30 years ago. and he has turned 55 years of age. Most of the extension lecturers are above 40 years of age and are not eligible for regular government jobs. The service record of every extension lecturer is maintained by the college. In this service record, details of seniority, qualifications, conduct, examination results, Principal’s recommendation, etc. are mentioned. The service report of extension lecturers is sent by the Principal to the office of the Higher Education Department, Panchkula, Haryana Government. It has been so long since these lecturers have been working. Therefore, there should be no hesitation in regularizing them. However, the government of Haryana has decided to appoint about 1800 extension lectures in the interests of students’ welfare because the process of regularization of extension may take time. However, it is a very good decision but it should not be a regular feature of decisions.
Main problems: a bird’s eye view
2194 extension lecturers are working in government colleges in Haryana, out of which about 1,200 are women. It has been more than 10 years since they have been working in government colleges. Most of the lecturers are overage and despite being fully qualified and experienced, they cannot even apply when there is a vacancy. Even if people go for interviews outside Haryana, their experience marks are also not added.
The extension lecturer is accused of doing the job by putting his self-respect at stake. They are insulted and exploited in the college. Regular lecturers threaten to reduce the workload and there is always a fear in their mind that they will be shown the door by reducing the workload. In other words, the ‘last-in-first-go formula’ is applied in the job. In other words, extension lecturers have been appointed based on workload. It is also alleged that most of the workload is on them. Extension lecturers do all the work in the college that regular lecturers do. They cannot be convenors of committees in big colleges located in cities. They are not responsible for financial matters even though they are on the committee. Most of the work is done by them and the regular lecturers take all the credit.
According to internal sources on condition of anonymity, there are also such examples that if there are two sections of one category then both of them are merged and instead of a permanent lecturer, the students of both the sections are taught by extension lecturers. Permanent lecturers fill in the results of one section in their ACR. Extension lecturers prepare the attendance register, assignments, and class test results of permanent lecturers. Regular staff threatens to reduce workload. The same is the situation of temporary teachers in aided private colleges. We can call this the ‘new imperialism’ of permanent professors.
After the implementation of the new education policy, the workload is decreasing in almost every faculty of colleges. As a result, the number of temporary teachers has reduced significantly. Under the new education policy, such subjects as environment studies, soft skills, human values, etc. are being taught by permanent teachers which they have never studied. This is completely unfair. This is done so that there is no surplus staff. We believe that qualified professors should be appointed to teach these subjects and the surplus staff should be transferred to other colleges where there is a shortage of teachers.
It is also necessary to mention here that in many aided private colleges, students in self-financing courses are taught by permanent professors whose 95% of their salary is given by the government. The Higher Education Department of Haryana Government should conduct a secret inquiry as per its sources. If reports are called for by principals of aided private colleges, they may submit the wrong reports because they are under pressure from management and professors’ organizations. If permanent staff teach self-finance courses, then the government has three steps:
First, surplus professors should be transferred to other colleges where there is a shortage of staff.
Second, while taking action against the college, 95 percent of the salary of those professors which is received from the government should be stopped. No honorarium can be paid for Self Financed Courses (SFC) to regular teaching and non-teaching staff of aided private colleges.
Third, while giving salary hikes and promotions, the period that they have studied in self-financing should not be added to their experience. If the government does not do this, then this rigging will not stop, and ‘money is government and benefits are non-government’ will continue. Haryana According to government rules, permanent professors, whose salary is 95 percent paid by the government, cannot teach self-finance courses. This rule should be strictly implemented.
Extension lecturers are sent on deputation to other government colleges because regular lecturers believe that going to two colleges spoils the results. Extension lecturers are also mentally harassed. But on the condition of anonymity, the permanent lecturers have completely rejected all these accused, terming them as wrong and fixed. They believe that temporary or extension lecturers do not want to work. However, before getting a permanent job in the Haryana Government, he had been teaching in temporary posts in aided colleges of Karnal. What a strange paradox! They strongly oppose the regularisation of extension lecturers because they term it as the“backdoor entry.”
Pay scale of contract/extension lecturers: Less than the salary of a permanent peon.
The future of the teachers engaged on contract/extension is also not secure and the pay scale is also very low. For example, in aided private colleges of developed states like Haryana and Punjab, the salary of teachers engaged on contract ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 21,000 per month. Receives a salary which is less than the salary of a permanent peon. Temporary teachers working in some private universities of Haryana and Punjab get a salary of about ₹ 25,000 per month and can be dismissed at any time.
In Haryana, professors engaged in extension in government colleges used to receive an honorarium (salary) of Rs 150 to 250 per lecture from 2010 to 2017. But in June 2017, it was increased to ₹ 25000 per month and in June 2019, the salary was increased to ₹ 57700 per month.
Universities: “factories for the production of degrees”.
There are many problems in the field of higher education in India. The biggest problem among these problems is lack of quality. Both teachers and students are living in lack of quality. It is a matter of pride for a teacher to study, teach students, and get M.Phil or Ph.D. degrees to increase their intellectual level, but according to the former Governor of Gujarat, the university does not provide Ph.D. And M.Phil has become “factories for the production of degrees”. The basic reason for this is that instead of doing the work themselves, students or researchers get their research work and research papers written and published by paying money to other authors. Some private universities charge different amounts for providing PhD guides, preparing research papers, preparing synopses, writing PhD thesis, etc. Even government universities are not spared from this corruption.
Apart from these, some other shortcomings also became known by talking to the researchers. The ‘course work’ of PhD is 6 months, but it is only 20 days in the name of ‘capsule course work’ which is a complete violation of the rules of PhD regulation of UGC. In this course work, attendance of the research scholars is mandatory but the attendance is marked only for one day and it is shown as if the research scholar attends the class regularly. The attendance of the research scholars is taken in the university and they do not have any leave in the colleges. Such students are called ‘Non Attending Students’ and for this, they have to pay a separate fee.
In the context of the petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court (CWP No. 26892 of 2023), the Higher Education Department of the Government of Haryana, the professors who have received Ph.D. degrees from OPJS and other private universities during their service and have availed the benefits. Apart from this, after the direction of UGC, instructions have also been given to send the information about the ‘course work’ of these PhD holders to the principals of government colleges. (Memo No. 15/229 – 2023 C – 1B). A proper inquiry should also be conducted about the attendance of Ph.D. holders of private-aided colleges, by the Higher Education Department of the Haryana Government. Because even in today’s electronic age, attendance is recorded in the register while biometric machines are closed.
About 500 extension lecturers in Haryana are fake degree holders. In 2020, RTI information continued to be published in newspapers. A large number of regular lecturers are also fake degree holders. If private-aided colleges, self-financed courses, self-financing colleges, and universities are also included, this number could be even higher. How will teaching and research work in Indian higher education institutions be carried out based on such professors? Can India move towards a world leader (Guru)) through this type of research work?
Reservation policy not applicable
Not implementing the reservation policy while recruiting for temporary appointments in aided private colleges and appointments on the extension in government colleges is unjust, depriving the reserved category of jobs. Regarding the non-implementation of the reservation policy, it is said that there is no law related to reservations regarding temporary appointments. We believe that in which law it is written that reservation will not be applicable on temporary appointments.
As Principal of Dyal Singh College, Karnal, I met the President of Dyal Singh College Trust Society, Dewan Gajendra Kumar (son of the founder Vice- Chancellor of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Dewan Anand Kumar), R.C. Sharma (former Director CBI), and other trustees. I appraised them that ours is a national college and it should be made a real national college by implementing reservations in temporary appointments. As a result, a reservation policy was implemented and recruitment was done in both teaching and non-teaching.
Through the organization of extension lecturers of government colleges of Haryana, discussions are held from time to time with officials of the Higher Education Department, MLAs, Ministers, Education Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Chief Minister regarding their demands and memorandums are also given to them so that they are informed about the main demands. To make people aware of it, they also hold strikes and demonstrations from time to time to put pressure on the government. The most important demand among the main demands is that these should be regularized. It is important to mention here that the work being done by the lecturers for expanding the field of education for the last several years is improving the examination results and the education of Haryana. Their contribution is no less than that of permanent and regular professors and they are not less than them in any form of qualification. We believe that there are many such colleges where the number of extension lecturers is more and the number of permanent lecturers is less. For example Generally, out of 134 teachers in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College, Faridabad, 91 teachers are working on an extension basis. More workload is imposed on them. Internal sources believe that the permanent lecturers also get their period and other work done by the extension teachers and repeatedly threaten them that they will get them removed from the service. On one hand, these teachers are threatened by their permanent counterpart lecturers, and on the other hand, the principal gives threats. Because the principal can remove him from the job at any time by accusing him of unsatisfactory work, inappropriate conduct, and involvement in illegal activities.
Suggestions for improving the status of extension lecturers
Following are the important suggestions for improving the status of extension lecturers in Haryana:
First, by implementing reservations even in temporary appointments in all the universities and colleges of Haryana, proper representation should be given to all sections of the society so that the nature of education can become national.
Second. Permanent teachers should be appointed to all posts in universities and colleges and the principle of “equal pay for equal work” given in the Constitution of India (Article 39D) should be implemented. A writ petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Extension Lecturer. Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Haryana Government to implement the benefit of “equal pay for equal work” on CPW 1887-2019 at the rate of Rs 57700 per month . As a result, from July 20, 2017, https://theasianindependent.co.uk/each Extension Lecturer Practitioner will get arrears of Rs 7 lakh 52 thousand.
Third, the policy of rationalization should be implemented immediately in government colleges. Professors and other staff should be deployed in proportion to the number of students. In some colleges in urban areas, the staff is much more than the number of students. On the other hand, there is a shortage of staff in colleges in towns and rural areas. Improvements can be made by transferring and adjusting staff based on need.
Fourthly, we think that a ‘Separate Cadre’ should be created for the extension lecturers who have been serving since 2010 and are overage too, so that their ‘tension of extension’ ends and their ‘extension’ tension also ends. Good days in Amritkal will come. They will get freedom from exploitation and their future will be bright. The only surefire panacea to eradicate exploitation is regularization.
Fifth, there are only 2932 teachers and 1664 non-teaching staff for adjustment in aided private colleges. Instead of adjustment, teachers and non-teaching staff of government financially aided private colleges should be provided the same facilities as their equivalent employees working in government colleges. and extension lecturers should be regularized. Even after that, if vacancies remain then new recruitment should be done.
Our opinion is that the services of extension lecturers should be regularized and all the recommendations of the Pay Commission should be implemented by providing them with all the facilities like a revised pay scale, housing facilities, medical allowances, etc., the ‘tension of extension lecturers’ should end and they will take more interest in teaching. As a result, academicians will make incomparable contributions to the development of Haryana. Ultimately, politicians and bureaucracy should also change their approach to improve education.
(Special Note: The author has been the founder and president of Haryana College PhD Teachers Association. (This organization is no longer in existence). He was also jailed during the strike of college teachers of Haryana in 1972-1973 during the rule of Chief Minister Bansi Lal.}
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