Fri Jan 24 18:00:21 UTC 2025: ## Over 5,000 Guest Lecturers in Karnataka Protest Job Losses
**Bengaluru, January 25, 2025** – Over 5,000 guest lecturers in Karnataka’s government degree colleges staged a protest in Bengaluru on Friday, demanding the state government reverse its decision to terminate their services. The lecturers, many of whom have worked for 15-20 years, are being dismissed due to new University Grants Commission (UGC) norms mandating qualifications like NET, KSET, M.Phil, or Ph.D., even for guest lecturers.
Protestors argue that applying these new rules retrospectively is unfair and will severely disrupt academic activities, impacting thousands of students and families. They highlighted that many of the affected lecturers have no other professional skills and face significant financial hardship.
The move follows a High Court ruling declaring guest lecturers without the required qualifications ineligible. While the state government has appealed the ruling, the Department of Collegiate Education has already begun the process of replacing the affected lecturers. The protestors claim the government’s actions are “inhuman and undemocratic.”
First Piper 