Bhopal: After support from Professors' Association, SAPAKS party too has come out in support of guest scholars and urged the state government to regularise them.
State party president Suresh Shukla has written a letter to the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Governor Mangubhai Patel urging them to regularise the services of guest scholars who have given important years of their lives teaching children on honorarium.
“There are around 4,500 guest scholars working in 525 government colleges across the state. Out of them, 2,300 fulfill norms prescribed by University Grants Commission. Even the remaining scholars have been teaching for past 10 to 20 years,” said Shukla.
At present, there are over 5,000 vacancies in the department and higher education department can easily accommodate them, he added.
Earlier, The State Government Collegiate Education Professors' Association had expressed solidarity with guest scholars and had demanded their regularisation. The association too had written to chief minister.
State association president Kailash Tyagi had cited instances when temporarily appointed Professors were regularised. In 1986 and 1998, faculty members were appointed on emergency basis in the state. Later, a proposal to regularise them was approved by state cabinet and they were regularised.
Shankar Lal Kharwadia, spokesperson of Guest Scholars Association, said that several other associations besides AJAKS, SAPAKS have come out in their favour and are demanding their regularisation.