Teachers, students clash in OU
Teachers, Students Clash in Osmania University. The issue of regularisation of contract employees led to a clash between the staff and the students in Osmania University on Friday.
Cops’ intervention prevented the situation going out of control
Hyderabad: The issue of regularisation of contract employees led to a clash between the staff and the students in Osmania University on Friday. About 300 contract lectures from all the universities in Telangana took out a rally from OU Arts College to NCC gate to express their gratitude to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to regularise contract workers.
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Students, who have been protesting against this decision for over a month, took out a rally opposing the decision. As both the rallies came face to face, the staff and the students entered into a heated argument over the issue and came to near blows. Timely intervention by the police saved the situation. About 10 students and some lecturers were taken into custody by the police.
While the lectures demanded that the government start regularisation of contract employees from the universities, the students said that the government should rescind its orders.
Telangana University Teachers Association president Veltula Kumar said there were about 1200 contract lectures working in various universities across the state. He said even if all lecturers were regularised still several posts would lie vacant in all universities and hence the students need not get worried that their job opportunities would be affected.
The lecturers feel that only a few student organizations were opposing the move. OU Teachers Association leader Parusuram said that all political parties had promised regularisation of contract employees before elections.
A physics lecturer from Nizam College said that he had been working as contract teacher for the last 28 years. “It’s high time that the government regularises the service as I would be retiring in a couple of years,” he added.
The students argue that the state government cannot regularise contract lecturers since they are recruited under the UGC norms. All the university lecturers should possess NET and PhD in order to qualify for assistant professor’s job.
