Ex-lecturers ready to return

FORMER lecturers at the University of TT (UTT) are willing to return to work on a part-time basis.

One of the 59 lecturers who were recently dismissed, Dr Kumar Mahabir, said so yesterday.

Mahabir said since he and his former colleagues were terminated earlier this year, “All is not normal at UTT.”

He says some of the retrenched lecturers have been replaced by people who are not qualified to teach certain courses, and claimed these instructors are teaching the same courses he and the other retrenched lecturers were teaching. Mahabir said this proved the fired lecturers were not surplus, as alleged by some people.

He was concerned as well about the lecturers’ former students. “The quality of the education is being diluted,” he said.

He also claimed that lecturers over 70 were being hired part-time, while: “We are being left out in the rain.”

Saying the former lecturers have evidence to support their claims, Mahabir said the Sanctuary Trade Union has reported the matter to the Accreditation Council of TT (ACTT).

In a statement, the union said “Section 8 of the ACTT Act mandates that the council should undertake audits, reviews and evaluations...to ensure that the quality of all post-secondary and tertiary education delivered in TT meets the standards set by the council.”

The union added Section 8 (p), stipulates that it is the duty of the council “to protect the interests of students and other stakeholders.”

Mahabir said the lecturers are awaiting word from the Equal Opportunities Commission about their termination and are prepared to take the matter to court.

But he reiterated that all of these actions would be stopped, if UTT were to re-hire them on a part-time basis.

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"Ex-lecturers ready to return"

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