Government increases honorarium for guest lecturers in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a substantial increase in the monthly honorarium for guest lecturers in Government First Grade Colleges, effectively ending their protests that lasted for one and a half months.

The decision, made after a meeting with Higher Education Minister M. C. Sudhakar and guest faculty representatives on Saturday, aims to address their demands and ease the ongoing deadlock.

The revised honorarium will see significant increments based on work experience. Depending on the years of service, guest faculties will receive a rise ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 per month. A raise of Rs 8,000 will be given to those with over 15 years of experience. This hike marks a change from the earlier offer of Rs 5,000, which failed to appease the protesting faculty members.

Additionally, the government has acceded to several other demands, including health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per annum and a lump sum retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh. Specific provisions such as one day of paid leave per month for those with substantial workloads and three months of paid maternity leave for female guest lecturers have also been approved.

Despite this substantial hike and the assurances given by the CM, the government has not committed to permanently employing guest lecturers, which remains a core demand of the protesting faculty members.

Siddaramaiah, while urging an end to the strike, expressed the government’s willingness to consider other demands progressively.

The announcement prompted the guest faculties to conclude their strike and agree to return to work starting Monday.