From Stopgap to Structural Exploitation: The Legal and Financial Crisis of Guest Faculty in India
SUMMARY What was conceived by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a temporary contingency measure to bring industry expertise into classrooms has quietly devolved into a permanent sub-class of cheap labour in Indian higher education. Across public universities, government degree colleges, and self-financing departments, guest lecturers now carry full teaching loads, conduct practical sessions, evaluate answer scripts, and manage departmental administration. Yet, they remain stripped of basic statutory rights, research funding, maternity/paternity protections, salary documentation, and social safety nets. This article examines the systemic loopholes, judicial realities, financial exclusion, and human cost of India's guest faculty crisis. 1. The Mirage of 'Temporary' Academic Relief Higher education institutions in India are currently witnessing a silent structural crisis. Over the past two decades, state government degre...