An open air classroom inside the Visva-Bharati campus. File
A recent advertisement by Visva-Bharati offering ₹150 per class to a guest teacher has drawn criticism, with many pointing out that such “devaluation” of teachers not only speaks poorly of the Central university, but is also becoming a common practice across West Bengal.
In an advertisement published on June 6, Visva-Bharati invited applications for the post of a guest teacher in weaving, offering a maximum of ₹12,000 per month for a minimum of 80 classes, which works out to ₹150 per class.
Critics were quick to point out that even unskilled labourers in West Bengal were entitled to ₹350 a day. “We strongly condemn the advertisement released by Visva-Bharati, which is a clear violation of labour laws. This act not only undermines the rights of the employees but also reflects a larger conspiracy to privatise Visva-Bharati,” said Sudipta Bhattacharyya, president of Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association.
The PRO of Visva-Bharati refused to comment, saying the advertisement was an “internal matter.”
‘Ad exposed trend’
A former Visva-Bharati student who is now an assistant professor at a college in West Bengal said the advertisement merely exposed the trend to curb recruitment of permanent faculties. “This has been going on for a long time in government-backed colleges and universities. And according to the UGC, a guest teacher should get at least ₹1,500 per class. Recently there was an ad by the Biswa Bangla University for guest teachers for a more mainstream department: Bengali. They quoted a salary of ₹500 per class,” the assistant professor said.
Recently, Bankura University too drew criticism for an advertisement that offered only ₹300 per class to guest lecturers in the department of physics.
Teachers can neither sustain a stable living nor find conditions suitable enough to continue further into academics. It is a sad situation,” the assistant professor said.