Andhra Pradesh fixes pay for assistant professors on contract

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government resolved a nearly 15-year-long demand from assistant professors working on contract basis in 14 universities by fixing a consolidated pay of Rs 40,000 for PhD holders and Rs 35,000 for non-PhD holders in the state.

The state government took a decision recently to provide consolidated pay to the assistant professors working on contract basis in all 14 government universities and also those working in Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge and Technology by bringing in a uniform pay for all, unlike the earlier practice of each university having its own pay scales. The assistant professors working in Rayalaseema region were the worst hit as they used to get just Rs 18,000 per month. These faculty members will also get an annual hike of Rs 1,000 in their wages. Their consolidated pay and also the annual hike got approval from the finance department. They are also assured of job security. Nearly 2,000 faculty members are expected to get benefit from the state government’s financial bonanza.

These faculty members have been demanding fixation of minimum time scale (MTS) and job security from the time of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. Though the previous Telugu Desam regime assured to resolve their issue, it failed to do so for five long years. They approached the then leader of the Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during his famous padayatra all over the state and got an assurance to look into their issues and ever since the YSR Congress government assumed power, they have been approaching the government to resolve their issues as assured.

Finally, the top brass of the department of higher education resolved their issue by fixing a consolidated pay instead of MTS with an annual hike and other allowances while the minister for education Botsa Satyanarayana reportedly assured them to ensure job security also during their recent talks.

However, the department’s proposal to conduct screening tests for every two years is a cause of concern to them as it requires more clarity to whom it is applicable.

Moreover, their colleagues in Telangana draw much bigger pay. All Universities Contract Assistant Professors Association state president Malli Bhaskar said, “We thank the Chief Minister for resolving our issue by fixing consolidated pay with an annual hike and we are expecting the government to issue an order shortly to that effect.”