The Haryana government plans to introduce a new law to provide job security to guest faculty working in universities across the state, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said on Tuesday. The announcement came during the monsoon session of the Haryana Assembly, in response to a Calling Attention Motion raised by former Speaker Ashok Arora and Fatehabad MLA Balwan Daulatpuria.
Dhanda said a high-level committee had been constituted with the approval of the state government to examine issues raised by the Haryana University Contractual Teacher Association (HUCTA) and the Haryana University Part-Time Teachers Association (HUPTTA). The committee, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak, recommended providing security of service to contractual assistant professors after detailed deliberations.
Proposed Act for 2026
The minister informed the House that the government would introduce a new "Haryana State Universities Contractual Assistant Professor/Lecturers (Security of Service) Act, 2026." The proposed legislation aims to provide job security to contractual assistant professors and lecturers, on par with the security of service extended to extension lecturers in government colleges.
"Now, on the same lines, a new 2026 law will be brought for teachers in universities," Dhanda said. He noted that the new Act would secure the future of eligible guest faculty who have been serving in universities for years and provide them with greater stability.
The minister also referenced the Service Security Act, 2024, which has already been implemented in Haryana's colleges, under which 2,095 employees have received the benefit of job security.
Eligibility criteria
The committee headed by the MDU Vice-Chancellor has laid down six major criteria for granting service security, pertaining to applicants' age, length of service, and eligibility for the post of assistant professor, among other factors, with fixed timelines. Specific conditions include that a teacher must have fulfilled all essential eligibility conditions for the post of assistant professor by June 30, 2023, completed at least five years of continuous service by August 15, 2024, and must be below 60 years of age as of August 15, 2024.
The minister said the higher education department has taken up the matter regarding the provision of service security to eligible assistant professors and part-time lecturers and teachers working in state universities, based on representations received from the HUCTA and HUPTTA.
Approval and timeline
Dhanda said that a proposal was submitted for consideration of the Chief Minister, who has accorded in-principle approval. The matter is presently under active consideration at the department level, and the department is incorporating requisite clarifications into the draft Bill. The final draft, in line with inputs from the Human Resources Department branch of the Chief Minister's office, is expected to be ready in six to eight weeks.
The minister assured the House that objections raised by the Human Resources Department regarding the proposed Act would be resolved by the Higher Education Department.
Teacher association response
Following the announcement, a delegation of the Haryana Universities Contractual Teachers Association (HUCTA), led by its state president Dr Vijay Malik, expressed gratitude to Dhanda. Dr Malik stated that the association had been struggling for several years for security of service for around 1,400 contractual assistant professors and lecturers across Haryana. Contractual assistant professors under different designations, including Resource Person and Teaching Assistant, would be covered under the proposed Act.