The task of universities in any society is to produce those who can man those occupations and professions which require a high level of knowledge and intellectual ability.  It is claimed that India today has the third largest pool of scientific and technical manpower in the world, and that this reservoir of highly educated people is in fact supplying the requirements of countries all across the globe.  However, the irony is that a decreasing proportion of the best products of the Indian university system re-enter it as teachers once they graduate.  There are many reasons for this, but undoubtedly one of them is the inadequate service conditions of teachers in our colleges and universities.

It is more and more becoming the requirement that a university teacher has to have a doctoral degree, or at least be on the verge of receiving one.  This means that the education of a university teacher covers a duration of between 20 and 25 years.  During this period, that is, until the individual is in his or her late 20s, he or she receives no income (apart from a small proportion who receive extremely low stipends), or else tries with great difficulty to complete advanced studies while also trying to hold a job.  A very good academic record throughout is also a precondition for obtaining a university teacher’s job. At the end of it all, there is also no guarantee that one will get a job matching one’s qualifications.  This very high academic requirement plus late entry into a paying job is not at all compensated by the pay received by the teacher – at least compared to that received by other professionals with lesser qualifications.  It is not uncommon for university teachers these days to find that the pay of someone whom they were teaching till yesterday is more than that which they are receiving after years and even decades of service!

Various official committees have lamented the fact that teaching is now considered one of the least desirable professions for a bright and talented youth to enter.  They have also pointed out the grave implications of this for the future of the society.  One result of this is that a huge number of teaching positions in colleges and universities around the country are not getting filled.  According to a survey conducted in April-June 2008 by the UGC-appointed Chaddha Pay Review Committee, “44.63 per cent of the sanctioned positions of lecturers at the university-level, [and] 41.0 per cent of those at the college-level, were found to be vacant.”  This is an astonishingly high percentage, which is partly due to governments and managing bodies trying to save money on teachers’ salaries, but which is also partly due to the lack of good candidates applying for the jobs.  This in turn has led to other problems.  The lack of adequately qualified teachers has meant that the existing faculty is overburdened with basic teaching and examination duties, leaving little time for research and other activities that are essential to maintain and develop their scholarship.  The burden falls mainly on young lecturers.  Various punitive measures, including denial of promotion, are imposed on those university and college teachers who are unable to keep up with research and publication activities under these conditions.  But very little is done by way of redressing the basic conditions or providing incentives such as awards, fellowships or grants to encourage teachers to excel. 

Lack of infrastructural support is another problem encountered by teachers.  With very few exceptions, universities are by and large neglected by governments, even the bigger ones in major cities.  The crumbling buildings, dim classrooms, poorly equipped labs and miserable facilities which are a hallmark of many universities contrast greatly with the shining new office and corporate buildings that are to be found in many cities.  After a while, these have a negative impact on the morale of teachers who spend their lives in these surroundings.  It is also a well known fact around the world that the work of a university teacher is necessarily carried home, because the work of preparation for classes and self-study does not end with the classroom.  In this context, inadequate housing is one of the major problems plaguing university teachers.  According to the Chaddha Committee report, about 65 per cent of government colleges provide residential facility to less than 20 per cent of their teachers.

Faced with such conditions, university and college teachers in India have a tradition of organising collectively to fight for better conditions.  Those employed in the private “teaching shops” that have mushroomed in the name of expanding higher education have a difficult time when it comes to struggling against the authorities and managing bodies of their institutions, which don’t hesitate to terminate their services.  But the teachers in government colleges and universities are facing increasing problems as well.  One way this is happening is through the shocking practice of hiring more and more teachers on an ad hoc or contract basis – something which goes against the very concept of higher education.  Naturally, ad hoc or part time teachers have no security of service and can hardly afford to fight collectively for better conditions.  The government has also been trying in various ways to sow divisions among the teaching community by dividing them into different categories and applying different rules to each.  A small elite among teachers is encouraged to think of themselves as superior to the others and is rewarded with opportunities and service conditions which are not available to the rest.  The long-established practice of teachers unions being polarised on party lines has also contributed to the weakening of their united struggle.

University teachers face many difficulties and challenges. To overcome them, they need to remain united and see their struggle as part of the overall struggle of the people of this country against a system that stands against their well being and interests.