Part-timers defer stir with a rider
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 16 2013: While announcing deferment of its proposed agitation on the issue of non entitlement of 6th Pay Commission recommended pay-scale and service regularisation, All Manipur Government Colleges Part Time Lecturers' Adhoc Committee has threatened to launch intense agitation in case Government of Manipur does not redress their grievances.

Speaking to newspersons at Manipur Press Club today, Committee convenor Sadiqm Rahman informed that decision to defer its proposed agitation, supposed to start from today (April 16) till April 25, was taken in view of the Education Minister M Okendro's recent comment at a public event in Churachandpur district that issues concerning the part-time lecturers would be considered positively by the State Government.

Honouring the Minister's assurance the Committee would be extending all possible cooperation to the Government's initiative to work out a solution however failure to redress grievances of the lecturers would constrain the Committee to undertake intense agitation that could impede goal for development of education in the State, cautioned that convenor.

Reiterating that the Government should uphold Okendro's assurance within April 25, Sadiqm affirmed that in case of failure part-time lecturers would resort to various form of agitation beginning with wearing of black badge from April 26 till 30 .

If the Minister do not fulfil his commitment on the said issue within the stipulated period the Committee would launch indefinite ceasework strike from May 1 onward, the convenor maintained.

It is said that owing to shortage of teachers in Government colleges, part-time lecturers are being engaged since 1991 with the Government regularising service of some part-timers from time.

With the regularisation process ceasing from 2000 and some of the part-time lecturers approaching service superannuation period, the said lecturers are staring at an insecure future, economically and are unlikely to be capable of bearing family expenses, Sadiqm highlighted.

Informing that part-time lecturers are currently paid Rs 8000 per month remuneration, which is the basic pay of Fifth Pay Commission, with some others receiving only Rs 4500, much less that the amount entitled to laboratory attendants, peons, etc., the convenor lamented that the latter remuneration is on par with what a parent have to cough up as boarding fee for a single ward.

While other Government employees are already enjoying recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission and regular teachers drawing monthly salary of over Rs 1 lac, Government's indifferent attitude towards the part-time lecturers has been making their fate even more wretched, decried Sadiqm.

Pointing out that inspite of workload of part-time lecturers no less inferior than that of regular ones the huge discrepancies in the two's salaries is not justifiable, he expressed while conceding that for a long time the part-timers had been expecting that the Government would do the needful to bridge the disparity.

Further stating that need and duty of teachers are increasing with each passing day consequent to increase in enrolment of students in colleges, implementation of semester systems and above all most of the students preferring honours courses than general, the convenor also maintained in addition to taking post-graduate classes in colleges having post-graduate courses, part-timers and guest lecturers are heading some departments in some colleges.

He also lamented that inspite of the issue featuring in the State Assembly session and the then Education Minister DD Thaisii announcing that part-time teachers would be given the said revised basic pay, followed by similar assurance about nine months back at a session of the Assembly by the present Education Minister Okendro no concrete measures have been taken up to redress plight of the part-timers.

Moreover, part-time lecturers are not allowed to engage in any other services/works as per an order of the Government.

As such their survival depend solely on the meagre remuneration, said Sadiqm who also informed that they do not get any Government facilities such as die-in-harness or pension scheme benefits.

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