Over 700-Day Protest by Contractual Lecturers in Jammu Falls on Deaf Ears

JAMMU: In the exhibition ground near the Press Club, Jammu, a tent has been installed by the 10+2 contractual lecturers who have been protesting since the last 23 months. They are demanding regularisation of their jobs, among others.

On Monday, the protest entered its 707th day with scores of contractual lecturers living in and outside the tent. Amid shouting slogans and carrying placards, the protestors alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre in 2014 talking about youth but has done nothing for them.

“We have been protesting for over 700 days. It is the longest protest in the State, but the government has turned a blind eye toward our demand. Most of the protesting lecturers have completed 10-15 years of service in the education department but are still working on contractual basis. Some of them are highly qualified and are PhDs,” said Jeevan Kumar, who has cleared MA, BEd, MEd and MPhil. The contractual lectures have been protesting under the banner All J-K Contractual Lectures (10+2) Forum. The protestors said that the “organisation was formed by lecturers appointed in 1998 on “academic arrangement basis to serve in the government-run higher secondary schools in the state.

As per the protestors, during the People’s Democratic Party regime run by late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2003, a policy was introduced assuring regularisation of services of contractual lectures. The policy also assured salary increase from 3,500 to 7,000/month. “But within three months, another notification came on October 21, 2003 which said that in future all such arrangements will be made on contractual basis. On August 3, 2004, the appointments were converted into contracts, as agreements taken in contractual rules,” said Surinder Kumar, who has been working on contractual basis since 2006.

Kumar said their main demand was that “they should be brought under Civil Services (special provisions) Act 2010. The special provisions have been implemented on doctors, and others but not on us. We also demand that our services be regularised and those who were ousted be reinstated.”

Recently, former Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Altaf Bukhari had said, “Contractual is not a permanent job and their engagement was based on an academic arrangement under which we hire teachers, professors and lecturers for a few months during an academic session. The posts of lecturers are gazetted in nature and can only be filled through PSC.” He had said that those who are 100% eligible for the job and will clear the Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Board examinations, will be appointed. While speaking to PTI, Bukhari had assured the protestors “additional points when hired on academic arrangement.”

However, the protesting lecturers refuted Bukhari’s claims, saying “We have qualified district level examinations and we were hired on that basis. We don’t require to clear PSC. If contractual engineers, doctors have been regularised, why not us We had held a press conference refuting his claims, and when we met him, he admitted that he was wrong,” said Jeevan Kumar

The protestors also complained of paltry salaries, saying that these were not enough for feeding themselves and their families. “Most of the lectures are from different districts like Reasi, Udhampur and uphill areas, who come down to Jammu city for work. In Jammu city, we have to rent a room, get food and other things and feed our families too. In Rs 7,000-10,000, how can we manage to feed our families? With no job security, we are in perpetual fear about our future,” said Sanjay Kumar who belongs to Rajouri district.  The protestors have been observing a chain hunger strike in order to fulfilment of their demand for regularisation.

“We have been on chain hunger strike for the last 705 days but nobody has paid attention toward us. The government has already regularised so many ad-hoc/ contractual/ consolidated/ academic arrangement, only 10+2 contractual lecturers have been left out,” Arun Bakshi, state president of the association, said.

A few days ago, the protesting lecturers were on a 26-day hunger strike after which BJP MLA Kavinder Gupta assured them that their demands would be taken care of, but nothing has happened so far. “Politicians and governor humein time to time lolipop dete hai (They keep on giving us false hopes.)  We met the Governor ( the state is under President’s Rule) twice and he said he would send his special advisor to us, but nothing has happened so far. People in Jammu are not happy with BJP, too, as the party’s leaders come for votes and forget us after coming to power. Lekin hum ladenge (But we will fight),” said Surinder, a contractual lecturer.