The Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association has demanded that the higher education department send back all teachers who were redeployed from Annamalai University to the parent institution.
The demand has come at a time when some opposition political leaders have called to make them permanent teachers in government colleges.
In 2016, the then State government decided to redeploy surplus staff from the financially beleaguered Annamalai University to government departments after the university was brought under its control. The government staff and college teachers had opposed the move.
TNGCTA members pointed out that the teachers had been appointed without following the norms such as reservation or even appointment against existing vacancies.
The State government had redeployed over 1,000 teachers from the university to fill vacancies in government colleges, and this resulted in as many aspiring teachers having to wait their turn despite relevant qualifications.
The redeployed teachers have been appointed on three-year contracts since 2016. Since then, the contract has been renewed every three years. So far, around 10 teachers have retired, and their positions remain vacant, the association members said.
Association general secretary S. Suresh said the renewal of contracts has affected us. The teachers were not selected through the norms of the Teachers Recruitment Board, giving weight to educational qualification, work experience, and communal reservation. The appointment procedure for these teachers is questionable.
“The State government follows the reservation system for appointment, but the teachers who have been redeployed were not appointed following the rule of social justice. We want the government to appoint only as per the rules of reservation through the regular mode of appointment,” Mr. Suresh said.