“Poor quality” of teachers.

 Concern over the "poor quality" of teachers by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal is taken for granted. His firm stand that teachers needed to be paid more to ensure quality education is to be spotted on. Nevertheless, the IHRD Engineering Colleges in Kerala under his department is paying only Rs 150 per hour to guest lecturers with M Sc or M Tech degree. This sort of sheer exploitation is done when ‘Job Guarantee Scheme’ workers earn more for a lesser work.

I was working as guest lecturer, after retirement from an aided college, at IHRD college of Engineering at Pallippuram, Cherthala since 2008 but stopped this year because of the poor payment to guest lecturers. The IHRD institutions in Kerala are making a huge profit by posting guest lecturers for meagre payment and they refuse to post permanent teachers in the existing  vacancies. They are also reluctant to pay the enhanced payment of Rs 1000 per class to teachers as per the order of Higher Education Department, Government of Kerala.

If Minister Kabil Sibal is sincere in his stand up, then ask the IHRD institutions to fill up the vacancies with permanent teachers or enhance the hourly payment to guest lecturers as per Government directives. And, without  taking any effort to wipe out the non-uniformity in the  payment of teachers it is absurd to speak mouthful on  “Globalisation of education” and other rubbish.

K A Solaman