Haryana's contractual teachers elated as recruitment in varsities halted

Rohtak, July 24

Nearly 1,500 assistant professors serving at 15 universities in the state on a contractual/temporary basis have heaved a sigh of relief at the Haryana government’s decision to halt the process of fresh recruitment of university teachers.

“The state government has removed the sword of retrenchment hanging on our heads by putting the recruitment process on hold,” said Vijay Kumar, president, Haryana Universities Contractual Teachers Association (HUCTA). A delegation of the association met Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in Rohtak and urged him to make a policy for regularising the jobs of the contractual/temporary assistant professors serving at different universities before the Assembly elections.

Welcoming the state government’s decision to halt the fresh recruitment of the faculty, the delegation demanded that the process be restarted only after regularising/adjusting/ absorbing the contractual/temporary assistant professors.

The delegation urged the Chief Minister to ensure their service security till the age of 60 years. The HUCTA president said the contractual assistant professors were given very low salaries since the time when there was a huge shortage of teachers at the universities.

“All rules have been followed in the appointment of the contractual/temporary assistant professors,” said HUCTA office-bearers Manjit and Arun Garg, adding that only those applicants who fulfilled all criteria laid down by the UGC had been appointed as contractual assistant professors.