Ludhiana: 10-month salary arrears cleared for guest faculty

The Guest Faculty Assistant Professors United Front hailed the move as a reflection of the government’s pro-employee stance

In a long-awaited relief, the Punjab government has released the pending salaries of 127 guest faculty assistant professors serving in government colleges across the state. The decision has brought much-needed respite to the teaching staff, who had been waiting for nearly ten months for their dues.

The United Front also extended gratitude to the director of higher education, commending his transparent and dedicated leadership. (HT Photo)

The Guest Faculty Assistant Professors United Front hailed the move as a reflection of the government’s pro-employee stance. State leaders of the United Front, Ravinder Singh Mansa, Gursev Singh Patiala, Paramjit Singh from Amritsar and Muhammad Tanveer Sangrur, expressed heartfelt gratitude to higher education minister Harjot Singh Bains. They said the timely intervention and directions of the minister paved the way for the release of salaries that had been held up for months.

The leaders emphasised that guest faculty members have been the backbone of Punjab’s government colleges — institutions that form the academic heritage of the state, for over two decades. They recalled that under the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2022, the honorarium of guest professors was revised upwards, signalling the state’s commitment to their welfare.

They added that the recent recruitment of permanent professors had created administrative hurdles, disrupting payments and pushing several guest faculty members into financial distress. However, coordinated efforts by the principal secretary and the director of higher education helped resolve the bottleneck, ensuring the timely disbursal of salaries.

The United Front also extended gratitude to the director of higher education, commending his transparent and dedicated leadership.

Guest faculty assistant professors at government colleges across the state shared that they have dedicated the best years of their lives to teaching in government institutions. Ravinder Singh, a state leader of the Guest Faculty United Front informed that teachers from 25 colleges across the state were affected. He further appealed to the state government to consider regularising their services, recognising their long-standing contribution to higher education.