College lecturers up in arms against ’flawed’ circular

College lecturers up in arms against ’flawed’ circular

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Nov 21,2014 :  The department of collegiate education, increasing the number of teaching hours at government and private aided colleges, has drawn serious flak from the lecturers.

A circular issued by the department on November 10, wants lecturers teaching subjects with practicals to conduct classes totaling 26 hours per week as against the current 20 hours. Those teaching subjects without practicals have to conduct 22 hours of classes per week as against 16 hours.

The hurdles were taken up by  the Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) will  protest  in the city on November 20, Friday. The AMUCT said that due to the move, more than 25,000 guest lecturers, temporary teachers and those on management salary across Karnataka will be rendered jobless.

Norbert Lobo, vice-president, AIFUCTO and FUCTAK, told media that the government move will demand superhuman skills from lecturers. "Lecturers will now have to teach for 3-4 hours at a stretch each day for at least four days a week," he said.  Stating that such a situation for lecturers is not prevalent in any state, adding  that the move is directly aimed at sending home guest lecturers and save costs.

He said that the reduction in teaching staff will have a bearing on the academic calendar and quality.  in Mangalore University, at present nearly 450 lecturers are available to evaluate papers in commerce, who take nearly four weeks to complete the process. If the circular were to be implemented, this number will come down to 250-270 lecturers,  evaluation of commerce papers will take nearly two months as a result.

This delay will affect  the teaching time available in semester system that universities across Karnataka follow, he said. It will also be reflected  on research and the time that lecturers are expected to devote for co-curricular and non-academic activities, apart from study and preparation that they are expected to take up for the benefit of students.

FUCTAK members will meet in Bengaluru on November 22, Saturday to chart their future course of action against the move, he said.