Choosing a career in life was an important decision to make when we completed our Ph.D. some 18 years back. There were many jobs that were offered to us. CSIR labs were welcoming us with their open arms and even Industry was offering jobs but we chose to join teaching profession. It did not come easy, it came after spending 22 years of education, burning mid-night oil and being with books, spending time in libraries searching for references and literature when others who opted out were having fun. We missed on many things, we had to watch our set ups, experiments, record the observations when others were watching movies, having late night dinners and attending musical and theater festivals. However, the thrill of getting to teach in a college appeared to be very fulfilling and a reward that was like a dream come true. Some of us were selected to teach in colleges and some in the university departments and research institutes. Let me make it clear, we all were almost having similar grades and had same set of skills and training. But we were happiest lot as we got to teach in undergraduate colleges, colleges where many bright young minds seek admission. We were happy because one gets to interact with young talent, with students who just pass out from schools, students who have stars in their eyes and are keen to learn. Every year a new and a better lot came, every lot helped us grow, fueled and ignited our minds and we embarked on a journey to acquire more knowledge, better skills and keep ourselves abreast with changing times. Suddenly, we all felt like leaders with a role, a role to ensure that the students learn and also a sense of self achievement when students taught by us started playing important roles in various spheres and jobs.
We felt young and vibrant, we felt accomplished and still curious. Others were just into jobs but we felt like creators of new generation, more empowered as we felt like our own bosses, steering our class rooms in the way we wanted it. But, today we are a disillusioned and a dissatisfied lot. We camouflage our agony and anxiety when we enter class rooms, practical labs, special lecture series, presentations and discussion sessions. We strive hard to keep ourselves motivated, grooming kids to enter in various fields when we are in staff rooms, evaluating their examination answer scripts and writing critiques of their assignments and project reports when we are home. We are the happiest lot when our own students come to us and talk about their professions, their career goals. We see them growing and rising ladders and keep wishing best from them. Some of our brightest students also entered in our profession and are now our colleagues.
We are the ones who have seen four syllabus revisions, change in patterns and modes of courses, annual, semester, FYUP, Revised FYUP, CBCS and now revised CBCS. We have seen papers being added and deleted, contents compressed and expanded and a sea change. We being the last set of youngsters or permanent teachers, as we may call ourselves, kept on dealing with the changes in courses and frameworks as we have stay in the system. We have catered to the extra work load that kept cropping up every time there was change. We sometimes took classes that were not allotted in our regular time tables also. We played an important role in corporate social life of the institutions where we were appointed. Each one of us being part of various staff council committees and being in our prime youth with energy as well as enthusiasm, we did all we were told to do. We shouldered responsibilities that were given to us at both at the micro and macro level. We never had the liberty which our seniors had in terms of flexibility, yet we were discriminated against when there were pay revisions. Many of us are where we were when we entered this profession. Most of us have not got any appraisals, no career advancements and no promotions. Our interests were compromised, we were told that there would a lot for youngsters, the career progression would be smooth and we believed them. Our seniors who were lucky to have completed 9 years in teaching got Pay Band four and those who were even two days short are a suffering lot. What seniors got in 9 years, many of us are waiting it for last 15 years to 20 years? We are the ones who were to face the API (Academic Performance Indicator) earn points, points for teaching, points for evaluation, points for paper setting, points for college administrative work and points for research. We tried to earn these through the sweat of our brow, and then every third year the new guidelines came in validating a few of our accomplishments and nullifying others so that we gear ourselves for new point system yet again. Despite consistently showing positive performance and reviews, we have not so far received any promotion. And trust us, we are still there where we were when we joined this profession. Promotion will increase our salary, our emoluments and perks and with the inflation at its peak, this pay revision is needed for our sustenance and it is not just the money, it is the designation also we are longing for. Yes, money is required but promotion is pre-requisite for stepping into a higher role, more visibility in an organization and over-all growth. Our promotion is also linked to many other aspects of our career advancement. We cannot be thesis evaluators as we are assistant professors, we can sit in selection committees but due to the tag we cannot sign the papers, we cannot be a part of research committees of institutes who only care about the designation and not the level of knowledge we have. Many a times, we have been invited to deliver talks because of our academic understanding but denied payments as we are just Assistant Professors.
Most of the countries treat their young faculty with respect and regard and value their contribution but we are left as bitten community. For us job satisfaction is becoming an illusion, our mental and psychological well-being is effected influencing our health. Many amongst us are planning to leave. Evidence suggests that changes in teacher incentive structures affects who chooses to enter and remain in the teaching profession. When the universities are aspiring to become world class institutes, they cannot afford to lose the teaching talent that had been nurturing students for decades. We have never taken any leaves, we have been available for our students all through, we did our courses during vacations, we carry out our academic pursuits during our leisure time. It is time that our issues are addressed, it is time to applaud our work and it is time for our promotions. Honestly speaking, the starting point for getting more teachers to perform is timely promotions and career advancement schemes but who cares! We have been and are being taken for granted. Denial is seen as a punishment. The disturbing corollary to this trend is that the decision will back fire and trickle-down effect would be hard to contain. We are pleased that finally, MHRD and UGC has listened to our grievances and the process has started. The only thing required now is to execute and ensure that the Heads of the Departments, College Principals, and the Administration work in coordination and move papers fast. It is also an opportunity for them to show stand by the grass root workers who make the young generation dream big. Waiting for the sunrise!
Dr Monika Koul, Assistant Professor, Department of BotanyHansraj College, University of Delhi