Contractual teachers of Kashmir protesting for regularization in this file photo
‘Our President Fayaz Ahmad is 54 years old and is 6 years behind government fixed retirement age. Where will we go now? We have no other job option left.’
By Umer Ahmad
WAITING for the regularization of their services, around 500 contractual teachers serving the Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir from the last 20 years, have crossed their upper-age limit.
“We’ve reached the twilight of our careers,” says Dr. Yousuf Nengroo, Vice President All Jammu and Kashmir Contractual Teachers Association (JKCCTA).
“Contractual college faculty is being tossed from pillar to post by the very department they have served.”
Many successive governments, Dr. Yousuf said, have kept these teachers in the loop with fake promises.
“During former chief minister Omer Abdullah’s tenure, we went on hunger strike,” he said.“Omar’s advisor Mubarak Gul assured regularization after seven years of service, but it never happened.”
Many meetings were conducted during different governments till 2017, Dr. Yousuf said, but nothing changed.
“I’m 39-year-old with M.phil, Ph.D and NET qualifications, plus10 years of experience as a contractual teacher and yet I’m working only as need-based,” Dr. Yousuf said.
“Similarly, our President, Fayaz Ahmad is 54 years old and is 6 years behind the government fixed retirement age. Where will we go now? We have no other job option left,” he told Kashmir Observer.
A move to Court
Fake promises eventually forced these contractual teachers to move to court for regularization of services through the J&K Special Provisions Act.
“Justice Margey gave a judgment and directed the department to take our services on a regular basis rather than inviting applications from us every year,” says Dr. Yousuf. “But the department keeps violating the court order.”
During the contract, these teachers are made to sign affidavits, for not claiming regularization of their services.
“Being highly qualified and unemployed, we’re forced to sign that affidavit,” Dr. Yousuf said.“Even justice Magrey said that these affidavits are being used under hard situations. We serve in difficult places, be it Tanghdar or Keran. Our contractual lecturers go there with a meager salary of Rs. 18000 and teach students at border areas. No permanent lecturer goes there. But still, no justice is being done with us.”
The Higher Education Department, Dr. Yousuf said, is claiming that there are no posts vacant to adjust these contractuals.
“The fact is, out of 5500 faculty members needed in the Higher Education Department, only 3500 posts have been created in which only 2700 posts have been filled so far,” Dr. Yousuf said.
“These vacancies are only for the already existing colleges and in the last few years more than 50 more colleges were created in J&K.”
Shift after August 2019
After the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir-based contractual teachers were shown the door for a year.
“We were told that our service is no longer needed,” Dr. Yousuf said. “But our Jammu colleagues attended their duties and got paid for the whole year.”
After a year of hardship, the contractual lecturers were again hired in 2020 by the department. “Some of us were hoping that our services might be regularized after the pandemic,” Yousuf said. “But we are still waiting for some miracle.”
Back on 15 February 2021, Director Education in a verbal statement decided to take services from permanent staff on rotational basis.
“But in many Kashmir colleges,” Yousuf said, “students are suffering as there is no permanent faculty available.”
The disparity is not only confined to services, but also to salaries of these contractual teachers.
“After the abrogation of 370 and the formation of two successive Union Territories, the government should have fixed the basic salary for contractual lecturers as per the central law,” Dr. Yousuf said.
“Ladakh fixed Rs. 57600 as a basic salary for contractual staff, however the J&K administration failed in doing so and kept giving excuses of insufficient funds. When Ladakh can have funds to provide basic salary, how come it is possible that J&K dosen’t have funds?”
Constant Struggle to Survive
A doctoral scholar teaching Philosophy in the Higher Education Department for the last seven years on contractual basis lately got fed up with the “harsh behavior” of the department and decided to work in farms.
“Even after having a PhD,” he said, “I’m being forced to work as a daily-wage worker.”
Kashmir Observer contacted different movers and shakers of the Higher Education Department for their take on the story. As and when they respond, this story will be updated.
“It’s not only the government who is showing step-motherly behavior,” the scholar said, “even the permanent faculty looks down upon them. The room for the contractual lecturers’ remains poorly furnished. I’ve served in Aligarh Muslim University as a guest faculty lecturer, but I never have been treated so badly. We’re being treated like a use and throw product.”
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