The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Retired lecturers not to be hired again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 24, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Retired lecturers not to be hired again

Staff Reporter

Cabinet to decide on increasing honorarium, Shankaramurthy tells Council

BANGALORE: The Government will immediately issue orders that retired lecturers should not be hired as guest lecturers in government first grade colleges, Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy, said in the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Responding to a calling attention notice from Marithibbe Gowda (Congress), Mr. Shankaramurthy said until recently, as Leader of the Opposition, he had always argued against hiring retired lecturers, and he has no hesitation in ensuring that young, unemployed persons get the opportunity to work instead.

His suggestion that retired lecturers could be appointed in cases where no one else is available, was received with protests from several members cutting across party lines.

The normally quiet Chandrashekar Kambar, a former Vice-Chancellor of Hampi University, rose to say, "I have three points to make: Please don't appoint retired persons. Give the guest lecturers a decent honorarium of at least Rs. 5,000 a month, and make all the appointments of guest lecturers this year itself.

Dr. Kambar said the Government has always treated teachers and lecturers in a callous way. It should consider appointment of younger persons and mitigate the problem of growing unemployment, the member said..

Mr. Shankaramurthy agreed with the suggestion immediately, but on the matter of increasing the honorarium he said he will have to consult his Cabinet colleagues before a decision is taken.

The Government has just raised the honorarium from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 2000.

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