IIIT asst professors continue protest over pay revision

Vijayawada: Assistant professors working on a contract basis at the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) at Nuzvid (Eluru district) and RK Valley (YSR Kadapa district) of Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies–Andhra Pradesh (RGUKT-AP) continued their peaceful protest for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, demanding immediate revision of their salaries, which have remained unchanged for the past eight years.

The protesting faculty alleged complete apathy on the part of the university authorities despite repeated representations.

They said senior officials had earlier assured them that a meeting with the chancellor would be arranged to address their grievances, but the assurance was not honoured. The chancellor, who was expected to attend the Teckzite programme as the chief guest, reportedly remained absent, citing urgent official engagements, leaving the assistant professors disappointed and frustrated.

Faculty members who joined service between 2010 and 2014 expressed anguish over what they described as the authorities’ evasive and indifferent attitude.

The protesters said that they have been performing academic, research and administrative duties on par with regular faculty members but continue to be denied a fair and revised pay structure. With no positive response from the administration so far, the Assistant Professors announced that they would intensify their agitation and continue the protest until their long-pending and legitimate demands are addressed.