E-Paper
Punjab to hire 931 regular lecturers in all 48 govt colleges after 19 years
Process of recruiting assistant professors on regular basis was last initiated in 2002 but hiring was cancelled after vigilance bureau busted a cash-for-job scam that year
The Punjab higher education department is set to recruit 931 assistant professors or lecturers on regular basis in the state’s all 48 government colleges after a gap of 19 years.
A detailed file has been sent to the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) for working on the final logistics before issuing an advertisement for the posts.
The process of recruiting regular college lecturers in Punjab was last initiated in 2002 but the hiring was cancelled after the state vigilance bureau busted a cash-for-job scam that year. Since then, the recruitment of lecturers has been stalled with the matter being sub-judice.
The state has a total 1,873 sanctioned posts of lecturers of which 1,292 are lying vacant. Currently, the government colleges have 581 regular lecturers only. To deal with staff shortage, 882 guest faculty members and 251 part-time lecturers have been roped in.
Special secretary (higher education) Paramjit Singh, who is also director of public instructions (DPI colleges), said all the hiccups have been cleared for the recruitment.
“The advertisement will be issued in the months to come,” he said.
Guest faculty, part-time teachers fear job loss
Serving in government colleges for nearly 15 years, as many as 882 guest faculty members and 251 part-time lecturers are afraid that they may lose their jobs with the appointment of regular assistant professors. They have demanded relaxations in the recruitment process so that their jobs could be regularised.
Deepak Kaushal, member of the Guest Faculty Assistant Professors’ Association, said their jobs have not been regularised till date due to bad policies of the successive state governments.
“The guest faculty forms the backbone of government colleges in Punjab. The sad part is that 50% guest lecturers have crossed the age limit to apply for other government jobs. Therefore, the government must give certain relaxations related to age in the hiring process,” said Kaushal.
Also, the government should ensure that their services are availed even as regular lecturers are appointed, he added.
