Srinagar, Jan 5: The contractual lecturers and teaching assistants working in different colleges of Kashmir, Bhaderwah and Rajouri have accused the Higher Education department of discrimination saying that they had been denied extension in services while same had been granted to their Jammu counterparts.
 According to the aggrieved lecturers, the Court had directed the administration in 2007 to extend their working period from 10 months to 12, in response to a PIL filed by the lecturers.
 “We all belong to one state then why the High Court directive was only implemented in Jammu and not in Kashmir,” asked the lecturers who termed it a discrimination against Kashmir division and other districts.  “The government’s dubious policy depicts its insincerity towards Kashmiri youth, who have always been discriminated,” they said.
 The lecturers said the department had asked them to discontinue from January 16, contrary to routine two months annual break from February 1 to March 31. “On one end government is making tall claims to tackle the unemployment and on another they are rendering us jobless.”
 A contractual lecturer said the disengagement hits them financially and waste their time.
 “We have to re-apply for the posts in March, which takes two months and hits the academics. We resume work in May which is the third month of the academic year,” he said.
 “The Jammu lecturers are making merry by getting wages for whole year and the students there don’t face any hardships,” they said.
 Talking to Greater Kashmir the Minister for Higher Education, A G Malik admitted that the Court direction was not implemented in last session in Kashmir “for some unknown reasons.”
 “We have verbally directed the college Principals to let the lecturers in Kashmir continue for whole year from now,” he said, adding the formal orders would be issued in two days.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 6 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST