HYDERABAD: Representatives of the Ambedkar Open University Non-Teaching Association have urged the government to regularise contract faculty members working across universities and to immediately grant them UGC pay scale benefits — including basic pay, dearness allowance (DA), house rent allowance (HRA), and a 3 percent annual increment — along with job security until the regularisation process is completed.
Responding to a call given by the State Joint Action Committee, contract assistant professors at Ambedkar Open University continued their indefinite strike for the fifth consecutive day on Friday, demanding regularisation of their positions.
Wearing black masks, the protesting faculty members staged a demonstration near the statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar within the university premises. Leaders from the non-teaching staff, including Kantham Prem Kumar, Habibuddin, Venkata Picchayya, Chandra Reddy, Rama Rao, and Pandu, joined the protest, calling on the government to immediately address the legitimate demands of the contract faculty.
The leadership of the Ambedkar Open University Contract Assistant Professors’ Association — including President Dr K. Avinash, General Secretary Dr M. Kishore, Advisors Dr K. Narsinglu and Dr Kasam Vijay, Vice President K. Umadevi, Joint Secretary Dr P. Radhakrishna, Treasurer Dr Y. Kumar, and Executive Committee members Dr Makhdoom Mohiuddin and Dr Nagilla Ramakrishna — actively participated in the protest.
Contract faculty members Dr Padala Lakshman, Dr Sunil Kumar, Dr Vijay Ushashree, Dr Kurumeti Dayakar, and Narsayya Bhattu were also among those who took part, reinforcing their call for immediate government action.
