Ludhiana: Many educators left in lurch after revised selection list
The move has left the educators without employment, casting uncertainty over their professional futures and sparking widespread concern in academic circles
Following the discovery of discrepancies concerning reservation cases in the selection list of 1,158 candidates for the position of regular assistant professors in government colleges across the state, the higher education department has taken decisive action. Aiming to rectify the anomalies, the department unveiled a revised selection list last week, in which, names of over 30 teachers have been removed.
The move by the department has left the educators without employment, casting uncertainty over their professional futures and sparking widespread concern in academic circles. Some of the educators have been serving in these positions since 2021.
Harshita Gupta, a chemistry teacher at Government College for Girls, Ludhiana, is among those who lost their job due to the sudden revision. Gupta joined in September last year while pursuing her PhD from IIT Roorkee. However, after being removed from the revised list, she now finds herself without a job and a doctorate degree. “I followed all the rules, joined the college as per the confirmation, and now, through no fault of mine, I have been left with nothing. This has taken a serious toll on my mental health,” she said.
The revised list has also sparked legal action. A teacher from SCD Government College confirmed that she, along with several others, has approached the court to challenge the decision. The revised list has removed four computer science teachers, three mathematics teachers, two history teachers, two commerce teachers, five political science teachers, five economics teachers, five zoology teachers, and several others.
Harjeet Singh, a political science teacher from Malerkotla, was selected under the ex-servicemen category, but his name too has disappeared from the list. While expressing his frustration, Singh said that they had been erased from the system. “Many of us left stable jobs in the private and government sectors for these positions, but now, we have been left with absolutely nothing,” he said. Singh further revealed that the appointment process had been marred by delays and protests right from the beginning and now our services will be terminated.
The appointment of these regular teachers has also affected the guest faculty members already serving in the government colleges. Ravinder Singh, a state leader of the Guest Faculty United Front, said that many of the regular professors have been recruited to the posts of guest faculty members. “The government had promised to protect our services, but no action has been taken so far,” he said.
When questioned, Sanyam Aggarwal, Director of the Department of Public Instructions (DPI, Colleges), acknowledged the situation. “There were some issues in the previous list related to reservations, which have now been corrected. However, there is no alternative for those who have been left out,” he stated, confirming their terminations.
