The Tamil Nadu All Government College UGC Qualified Guest Lecturers Association has demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Eligibility Test (SET) conducted by Mother Theresa University in 2018.
On Monday, association members met Union Minister for Higher Education Dharmendra Pradhan and the University Grants Commission Chairman to highlight their grievances.
The Association demanded action against Tamil Nadu’s Department of Higher Education and its officials for not responding to its numerous petitions. President V. Thangaraj said the association urged the Union Minister and the UGC Chairman to instruct the Higher Education Department to pay the UGC-recommended salary to all guest lecturers in the State. It sought regular posts to the guest lecturers working under the Department. The association also wanted Ph.D guideship for qualified guest lecturers who had served 7 to 15 years.
The association demanded maternity leave with a minimum of six months’ pay for women lecturers and allocation of workload of not more than 16 hours a week.
The association informed the UGC and Union education officials of the irregularities in the SET conducted by Bharathiar University in 2010 and by Mother Theresa University in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the scores of many candidates were revised for financial gratification, they alleged.
It also highlighted the appointment of surplus staff at Annamalai University. “More than 5,000 teaching and non-teaching staff members have been appointed in surplus at Annamalai University. It is learned that the university has been given permission to conduct SET,” their representation said. It wanted the permission revoked to prevent corruption.
