Ad Hoc faculty Of Universities Want Their Issues Settled Before AP Notifies Recruitment

Vijayawada: Ad hoc assistant professors working in various universities have appealed to the state government to consider their request to give them timescale and, if not, regularise their services.

AP government is getting ready to issue a fresh notification for recruitment of 1,500 posts of assistant professors in all 14 universities. The recruitment is likely through Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission shortly.

There are around 2,800 ad hoc assistant professors working in various universities in the state for a long time. They have come up with a series of demands like fixing timescale, regularisation of their services, providing enhanced wages and so on.

Significantly, these ad hoc professors had stalled the earlier attempts of AP government to recruit faculty members in 2018 and 2024 by filing multiple cases in courts. AP government has sought their individual feedback before issuing its notification soon. Majority of the ad hoc staff sought timescale, regularisation of services, enhanced wages, and job security.

In the interim, ad hoc faculty members are eagerly awaiting the government’s response for their feedback. The government is yet to fix a roster of reservation to fill the vacant posts in all the universities. What could be the matrix for it is another major concern.

Ad hoc faculty members maintain that they have been recruited by their respective universities in compliance with the UGC norms based on their academic qualifications, experience, and merit. But the universities have so far denied them regularisation of their services.

All Universities Contract Assistant Professors Association state president Malli Bhaskar said, “We are expecting the government to call us for our feedback. We are seeking some assurances from the government before it issues the notification for recruitment. In case the government does not consider our issue, we will have to again go for a legal remedy.”

Ad hoc faculty members are planning to move the Supreme Court to consider their plea for regularisation of their services. They point out that recently, the apex court had issued an order regularising the services of 52 contract degree college lecturers.

They maintain that though they are academically highly qualified, the salaries that universities are currently paying them are less than those that lecturers in government degree and polytechnic colleges get.

Ad hoc faculty members have appealed to the government that it consider favourably at least for those who have already served for more than 10 years in their respective universities.