AASU demands rollback of order to sack contractual college teachers and staff

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today slammed the state government over its decision to discontinue the services of contractual teaching and non-teaching staff in provincialised and government colleges in the state.

The state government issued an order on Friday to provincialised and government colleges in the state to sack their existing contractual teaching and non-teaching staff and refrain from appointing new ones.

The AASU today termed the state Higher Education Department’s decision rash and short-sighted and demanded that the order on dismissing the contractual college teachers and staff be rolled back.

AASU president Utpal Sarma and general secretary Samiran Phukon today stated, “The state government has failed to provide sufficient and permanent jobs in colleges. The government has also shown little inclination to create new posts as per requirement. There is also no initiative by the government to introduce new and modern departments or courses in colleges to enable the students to compete with educational institutions in other parts of India and the world. Although the colleges have introduced new courses after taking approval from their affiliated universities, the government has not created posts for the required teachers and staff. As a result, the colleges are compelled to depend on contractual teachers and staff. There is a similar situation in the libraries in the colleges. In this scenario, it is inhuman to sack contractual teachers and staff without creating the relevant posts or appointing permanent staff. This decision will lead to the shutdown of many college departments, leaving students with a bleak future. AASU and the people of Assam will not accept such a decision, and we will organize protests, if needed. Before eliminating the concept of contractual teachers and staff, the government should create new posts and fill up vacant posts.”

To take the issue forward, AASU is mulling talks with the Assam College Teachers’ Association, Assam College Principals’ Council and Sadou Asom Karmachari Parishad.

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