CHENNAI: The Higher Education department in its order announced the extension of the tenure of over 1,600 guest lecturers in government Arts and Science colleges in Tamil Nadu for another eleven months.

A detailed government order from the Higher Education Department said that at present a total of 1,661 guest lecturers were employed in as many as 59 government Arts and Science colleges across the State.

The order further said that the contract for the tenure of guest lecturers, who were paid a consolidated salary of Rs 25,000 per month, ended in April 2024. Accordingly, the lecturers’ contract period will be extended from April 2024 to March 2025 and an amount of Rs 46 crore has been sanctioned for the distribution of salary to guest lecturers and a few temporary administrative staff for the extended period.

In addition, it instructed all the Arts and Science colleges to adopt University Grants Commission (UGC) norms concerning the qualification of guest lecturers during the extension period. The department further said that the management of the colleges concerned should get prior permission to appoint new guest lecturers if the existing faculty members discontinue their jobs for various reasons.