CHENNAI: The Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan on Thursday announced a Rs 5,000 salary hike for guest lecturers in government colleges. The revised salary will be disbursed from March 1.
To ensure that education remains uninterrupted, guest lecturers are appointed periodically, the minister said, adding, "their salary, unchanged since 2016, was raised from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 in 2022 and to Rs 25,000 in 2024 and now, it will rise to Rs 30,000.”
Guest lecturers in government arts and science colleges and temporary assistant professors in engineering colleges will receive Rs 30,000 per month from March. "Temporary polytechnic lecturers will get Rs 25,000, up from Rs 20,000," he said, adding "this entails an additional annual cost of Rs 53 crore to the exchequer".
According to the minister, a total of 9,646 teachers will benefit from the salary hike.
"Of them 8,741 are guest lecturers in arts and science colleges, 319 are temporary assistant professors in engineering colleges, and 586 are temporary lecturers in polytechnics," he added.
Recalling the welfare measures, the minister said a total of 38 new government arts and science colleges were established in 2021-26, benefiting an additional 18,760 students.
Pointing out that over 250 new courses have also been introduced, Govi Chezhiaan said, “as assistant professor positions remained vacant post-2015, the DMK government initiated the recruitment of 4,000 candidates.”
However, said the minister, despite court case delays, primary exams have been conducted through the Teachers Recruitment Board for the recruitment of 2,708 assistant professors in science and arts colleges.