Kerala: Directorate of Collegiate Education, Education Councils & Boards Office circular to Principals of colleges stated for teachers to work for more 16 hours per week.

The Directorate of Collegiate Education has released a notification to Principals of Government Arts and Science colleges instructing them to encourage Assistant Professors in the regular shift to consider working extra hours during the second shift.

Teachers, with relevant qualification in the subject from the first shift, who take up an additional 16 hours of teaching work per week for the second shift would be paid an additional consolidated monthly remuneration of Rs.10,000.

The decision was joined through a circular, a copy of which has been retrieved by The Hindu. Circular from M. Devadoss, Director of Collegiate Education, states that the decision followed a meeting with the Higher Education Secretary Apoorva on Tuesday.

Principal of a government college in Chennai said, “The State Government wants regular Assistant Professors to handle three to four classes in the regular shift and then teach for three more hours in the second shift. This is very difficult as teachers spend a lot of energy every lecture hour. Within a few months, teachers would be stressed out.”

The Manram members also are upset that the decision has come at a time when the government has not yet issued an order on the grade pay hike due to around 6,000 teachers. Such decisions could be avoided if the higher education department conducted the teachers transfer counselling which should have been conducted during the summer vacation. It is four months since the colleges reopened but there is no word on this, the members charged.

Since 2006-07, the government has been regularly increasing the number of courses offered in colleges and appointed as many as 1,661 teachers as guest lecturers.