State govts can't regularise contract faculty in varsities

Hyderabad: The dreams of contract lecturers working in State universities that their services would be regularised won't be a reality. The reason, there is little the State government can do for the regularisation of their services.

According to top sources in the State Higher Education department (SHED), "the appointment of university faculty has to be complied with the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations. Following this, the very appointment of contract faculty in the universities is illegal, because their appointments were not based on any examination held on a par with the State Eligibility Test (SET) and UGC-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET).

Besides, several court verdicts have pointed out the same thing that since their appointments are not in line with the regulations the contract faculty cannot be regularised," the sources added.

Speaking to The Hans India, senior officials of the Osmania University and Kakatiya University said that they had already sent the reservation rosters, and department-wise vacancies to the State government long ago.

Now, "the only thing left was to call for tests, conduct interviews and fill the vacancies. For this, the universities are waiting for the nod of the State government. That is yet to come," said a senior OU official.

The universities can't interfere if the State government gives any assurance to the contract faculty that it will regularise their services. But, appointments made through a regularisation scheme would are sure to face legal hurdles. In turn, it will further delay the regular faculty appointments in universities, said a senior KU professor.

At most, the State government may take initiative to appoint the contract faculty working in colleges affiliated to different universities giving some weightage of marks vis-a-vis other competing candidates. The State governments' cannot have an exclusive policy of appointments in violation of the UGC regulations when it comes to appointments of faculty. Against this backdrop, it is doubtful what is in store for the contact faculty serving in State universities keeping high hopes on the government that it would regularise their services.