The meeting was convened to discuss various demands raised by guest lecturers employed in government polytechnic institutions. |
Mumbai: The Directorate of Technical Education was instructed on Tuesday to ensure that guest lecturers working on an hourly basis in government polytechnic colleges receive their honorarium on time. The directive was issued by Maharashtra’s Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, during a review meeting held at the state secretariat.
The meeting was convened to discuss various demands raised by guest lecturers employed in government polytechnic institutions. It was attended by former minister and MLA Sanjay Bansode, MLA Abhimanyu Pawar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher and Technical Education Department B. Venugopal Reddy, Director of Technical Education Dr Vinod Mohitkar, Director of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education Dr Pramod Naik, and other senior officials.
Patil acknowledged the crucial role played by guest lecturers alongside permanent faculty members in government polytechnic colleges. He noted that guest lecturers are currently paid Rs 800 per session for theoretical classes and Rs 400 per session for practical classes.
He urged college administrations to implement a system that ensures these lecturers receive their honorarium regularly every month.
The minister also highlighted concerns arising from the shortage of teaching staff in government polytechnics following a court-imposed stay on the appointment of hourly-paid lecturers.
With rising student enrolment and the introduction of new courses, the lack of adequate faculty is reportedly affecting academic programmes and educational quality. The state government, he assured, will present its case effectively in court to address this issue.
