‘Release salaries of lecturers’

Guest lecturers teaching at government polytechnics in Karnataka have not received the honorarium from many months. Without the salary, the lecturers are finding it difficult to eke out a living amid the Covid-19 crisis.

DK unit Akhila Karnataka Government Polytechnic Guest Lecturers' Association president M Prashanth said, “Despite repeated notices, the authorities concerned had not initiated measures to release the pending honorarium amount. There are 800 guest lecturers teaching in government polytechnics across Karnataka and 110 in Dakshina Kannada district.”

At some places, lecturers had not been paid for the past two and a half years. The lockdown has affected us badly without a proper salary. We will heave a sigh of relief if the pending salary is paid at the earliest,” he added.

To add to their woes, the Director of Technical Education (DTE) had directed polytechnic college principals to reduce the number of guest lecturers.