GCU TAs feel they should be lecturers

TAs unhappy with their appointment, feel they should have been offered the lecturer posts that they applied for.

LAHORE: Out of the dozens of candidates who had recently applied for the permanent post of lecturers (BPS-18) at the Government College University (GCU), 20 had been appointed as teaching assistants (TAs) (BPS-17) on a contract basis. The TAs, however, are unhappy with their appointment as they feel they should have been offered the lecturer posts that they applied for. The candidates have been told by the GCU’s registrar to either accept the positions offered to them or quit.

A candidate who had made the list told The Express Tribune, on condition of anonymity, that around three dozen candidates had passed a written test for lecturers. He said that after the interview process was complete, 20 candidates were offered positions as TAs on a six month contract basis. He said that the GCU’s administration, especially its registrar, had humiliated them by offering them the lower grade post of TA while they had ‘successfully completed the process’ for the permanent post of lecturer. “We are aggrieved by GCU’s deception in its recruiting standards,” he added.

According to GCU’s own data, the University on August 10 had advertised posts in seven categories including the posts of lecturers in English, clinical psychology, chemistry and zoology. The GCU, however, had not mentioned the number of posts in its advertisement. On September 6, GCU conducted a written examination for the posts of lecturer and on September 15, after conducting interviews of candidates, offered 20 appointments as TAs. According to sources in GCU administration, out of the 13 successful candidates for lecturer in the English Department, 11 had been appointed as TAs. The remaining 9 were in the clinical psychology, chemistry and zoology departments.

The qualification for the post of lecturer states that candidates must have a master’s degree (first division) in the relevant field from an HEC-recognised university or institute and no third division in their entire academic career. No experience is required.

A TA said that he went to the registrar, Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid, and asked him about the injustice they had faced. He said that Khurshid was harsh, saying that if he did not need the job he could leave. The TA said he did not dare raise his voice again.

Another TA, in the Science Department, told The Express Tribune that the post of lecturer was better paid than that of a TA. The TA said that he had protested before Khurshid but the registrar had refused to listen to him.  He said that he held the registrar responsible for what he saw as injustice. He also said that he had accepted this position because of his poor financial situation. As soon as the six month contract period was over he would take GCU to court, he said.

The TA said that the registrar had failed to meet the requests of various department heads who had written to him asking that the permanent posts be filled. He said that the department heads concerned apprehended that if any TA takes the matter to the court they too would get sued.

A senior faculty member at the GCU, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that last year the GCU had advertised for TAs and then later on for lecturers.

Registrar Khurshid was not available for comment. The GCU’s public relations officer Mussadaq told The Express Tribune that any successful candidates would be interviewed by the GCU selection board, whenever it would meet, before a permanent appointment.  After conducting the interviews, he said, the selection board could appoint some of the candidates now serving as TAs as lecturers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.