End the Disparity

The limitations on resource is always a reason why all people don't get enough. That is why governments prioritise things and also do the rationing. But there is no reason for carrying on endlessly with a disparity, that is becoming not only exploitative but inhuman. The case in point is the vocational trainers hired by the J&K School Education Department.

These vocational trainers perform their duties for a stipulated period of time with a monetary reward much less than their permanent counterparts. It is the same case as is found in the higher education department where contractual lectures are engaged  on academic arrangement and paid far less than those who work as regular employees. Now, the government can have its own explanation for this, because it wants to minimise the financial  burden while at the same time not allow the gaps in the human resource needs.

But when such an approach attains regularity, it paves way for creating a disparity that measures the same effort, with same results, but paid differently. Now, if the pay differential was marginal one could ignore it. But it is too huge to be missed. Not to say that the permanent teachers in our schools, higher secondaries, colleges and universities should be paid less, but how do we justify this too big a pay gap.

And then it is not confined to just remuneration. The way these vocational trainers or contractual lecturers are treated in the system is another woeful tale. There vulnerability in terms of job nature is psychologically taxing on them, and their estimation as being  disguised-unemployed is killing for them.

The heads of the departments or institutions where these people work look at them through this prism, and hence consider them as second class citizens in the respective spaces. As the reports suggest, and as the feedback from these people indicates, they are made to work much more than the permanent staff, but never acknowledged for the same.

This issue seems to be something beyond administration, as there is no willingness at this level to address the issue. It is now for the political party that makes the government  to take a broader view of this issue and end this miserable condition of the vocational trainers and other contractual employees.