Latur: While families across Maharashtra celebrate Diwali with lights, sweets and festivities, teaching and non-teaching employees of 78 senior non-grant colleges are once again facing a gloomy festive season, with their long pending demand for 100% government grants remaining unresolved even after 25 years.
Colleges Established Before October 2001 Still Await Financial Assistance
The colleges, which were established before October 24, 2001, are eligible for government grants. However, despite years of waiting, repeated inspections and assurances from successive governments, the employees are still struggling without regular salaries and the security of permanent employment.
The plight of these employees is particularly distressing as many professors are above 40 years of age, while several are left with barely three to four years before retirement. They had joined these institutions with the hope that government grants would eventually be sanctioned and they would be appointed to permanent posts under the prescribed rules, enabling them to lead a financially secure life. That hope, however, continues to remain unfulfilled.
University-Approved Professors Struggle With ₹5,000 Remuneration
Although several professors have received university approval for their appointments, they are unable to draw regular salaries because the colleges have not received government grants. While a few institutions manage to provide a nominal remuneration of around Rs 5,000, many employees continue to work without adequate financial support.
The government has reportedly conducted five rounds of inspections of all 78 colleges through its committees. These inspections covered infrastructure, student strength, laboratories, staff requirements and other facilities. The committees also assessed the budget required to extend grants to the institutions. However, the exercise has yet to translate into a concrete decision.
24 Colleges Complete NAAC Accreditation Amid Grant Uncertainty
Of the 78 colleges, 24 have completed the NAAC accreditation process. The institutions undertook the exercise after the University Grants Commission (UGC) directed all colleges to secure NAAC accreditation, warning that salaries could otherwise be stopped. The colleges complied with the norms in the hope that fulfilling the requirements would strengthen their case for government grants.
“We, employees had also launched a massive agitation in Mumbai in 2024, continuing their protest for 452 days to demand financial assistance for the colleges. Although assurances were reportedly given at the time, no final decision has been taken,” Professor Abhay Dharashive informed.
Around 60 MLAs Raise Issue With Maharashtra Government
The issue has also been raised repeatedly in the Maharashtra legislature. Around 60 MLAs have submitted memorandums to the chief minister and the higher and technical education minister, urging the government to resolve the matter. Ministers have repeatedly cited technical issues at the officials’ level for the delay.
In the latest development, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, during a meeting with the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh on October 27, 2026, reportedly said that the proposal had been forwarded to the finance department. However, for the employees, another official assurance has brought little relief.
The human cost of this prolonged uncertainty is reflected in the struggles of professors who are compelled to take up additional work, sometimes outside the education sector, to support their families. Frustrated by the prolonged wait for government grants, many professors have quit their college jobs.
Dr Satish Jadhav, in-charge principal of Shri Shamgir Mahavidyalaya, Nilanga, said teachers who dedicate their lives to shaping students’ futures are themselves left struggling to secure their families’ livelihoods.
“Despite our college having been established before November 24, 2001, we have been burdened with the tag of permanently non-grant. There has been no concrete decision on this issue for years. Teachers who shape the future of students are forced to work elsewhere alongside teaching to sustain their families,” he said.
Describing his own struggle, Jadhav said he had taken up tailoring to make ends meet.
“I have to choose another profession to support my family. I am now running a tailoring shop for survival. This is not merely a financial struggle but a battle for the dignity, self-respect and future of teachers. We do not want sympathy; we want justice that is rightfully ours. Who will secure the future of teachers who are busy shaping the future of students?” he asked.
For these employees, the issue is no longer just about government grants or salary arrears. It is about lost years, uncertain careers, family responsibilities and the diminishing possibility of retirement with dignity. After a quarter-century of waiting, another Diwali has arrived without the assurance of a secure future. For many of these teachers, the festival of lights remains overshadowed by the darkness of uncertainty.
