Published Oct 15, 2026 | 8:14 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 8:14 PM
The association highlighted the Supreme Court's observation that governments exploit contract staff with meagre salaries.
Contract lecturers from 12 universities across Telangana staged a protest at the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) in Masab Tank on Thursday, October 15, demanding regularisation and job security.
The protest was organised by the University Teachers’ Association (Contract), Telangana State (UTACTS), which represents around 1,200 contract teachers.
BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP R. Krishnaiah addressed the gathering.
The agitation was triggered by an amended government order recommending uniform guidelines for hiring assistant professors across state universities. The association claimed that the order was issued without addressing the long-pending issues of the contract faculty.
The UTACTS recalled that contract teachers had staged an 11-day strike following the issuance of the original order in 2025. The strike was called off after Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy assured them that recruitment would proceed only after their grievances were resolved, excluding the posts held by serving contract teachers.
The association also pointed out that although the State Education Commission recommended absorbing qualified contract teachers –those holding NET, SET, PhD or JRF– the government has yet to act on the recommendation. It emphasised that besides teaching, these faculty members handle extensive research and administrative responsibilities.
Citing Supreme Court rulings, including the landmark 2016 State of Punjab v. Jagjit Singh case on “equal pay for equal work,” the association highlighted the court’s observation that governments exploit contract staff with meagre salaries. It added that state universities in Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Manipur, and Himachal Pradesh have already regularised contract teachers through legislation passed in their respective Assemblies.
Furthermore, the teachers pointed out that their current salaries remain lower than those of junior college, degree college, and polytechnic lecturers.
Their key demands include the immediate regularisation or absorption of all 1,200 contract teachers in compliance with Supreme Court directions, alongside the implementation of ‘equal pay for equal work,’ the 7th PRC-UGC pay scale, and guaranteed job security until the regularisation process is complete. The association insisted that fresh recruitment be initiated only after absorbing existing contract faculty –excluding currently occupied posts– and demanded retirement benefits of ₹30 lakh.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
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