The Long Wait: MKU Lecturers Stand Firm for What's Right

There's a palpable tension, a weary yet unwavering resolve, hanging in the air at Madurai Kamaraj University. For more than a few days now, a group of dedicated contract lecturers, some of whom have literally spent decades shaping young minds within those very halls, have taken to protest. It's an indefinite stand, you see, a desperate bid for something many would consider basic fairness: promotions for those long overdue and, frankly, the regularization of their precarious positions. And honestly, who could blame them?

Imagine dedicating years – sometimes even a solid decade or more – to an institution, pouring your heart and soul into teaching undergraduates, postgraduates, and even M.Phil. scholars. Yet, for some of these 120 or so individuals, the career ladder has remained stubbornly unmoving. We're talking about lecturers appointed as far back as 2004, extending up to 2011; they've been there, truly, through thick and thin. In fact, a good twenty-five of them are, by all accounts and the University Grants Commission's own stringent norms, more than eligible for significant jumps – perhaps to Assistant Professor, or even Associate Professor, maybe even the hallowed title of full Professor.

But here's the rub: those promotions, that recognition, they simply haven't materialized. Not yet, anyway. This isn't their first rodeo either; past appeals, even directives from the High Court back in 2018 regarding regularization, seem to have, well, largely fallen on deaf ears within the university administration. It’s a frustrating cycle, isn't it? A persistent demand met with what feels like an equally persistent inaction.

The university's side, as often happens, presents a different picture. The Registrar, for example, has voiced the rather firm stance that promotions for contract staff just aren't on the table. But the lecturers, they’ve done their homework. They point directly to the UGC regulations, particularly a 2010 amendment, which, they argue quite compellingly, absolutely allows for the promotion of eligible candidates, regardless of their initial contract status, provided they meet the requisite criteria. More than that, they cite a compelling precedent: a High Court order from 2012 that specifically granted promotions to a dozen faculty members in a similar predicament. It seems, then, that the path isn't as blocked as the university might suggest.

So, there they are, day in and day out, on the Madurai Kamaraj University campus. It's more than just a protest; it’s a deeply personal plea for dignity, for the acknowledgement of hard-won experience, and for the simple adherence to established guidelines. They’re not asking for charity, but for justice, you could say. And until their demands are heard, truly heard, and acted upon, it seems this indefinite stand will, indeed, continue.