IIOJK contractual lecturers warn of mass protests over authorities’ neglect
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, contractual college lecturers have warned of mass protests in Srinagar and Jammu if authorities continue to ignore their longstanding and legitimate demands.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the warning comes as the lecturers completed the first phase of a three-day pen-down strike, marked by complete academic non-cooperation across all government degree colleges in IIOJK. Despite being the backbone of higher education in IIOJK, thousands of contractual lecturers are subjected to persistent exploitation, plagued by irregular wages, lack of job security, and administrative neglect.
“This strike is not against education or students. It is a protest against a system that continues to exploit and ignore us,” said a spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Contractual Teachers Association (J&K HECTA).
The association has repeatedly approached the IIOJK administration, including launching a one-day pen-down strike in March, but their appeals have been met with silence. “Our patience is wearing thin. The authorities have offered only lip service while our psychological and financial distress deepens by the day,” the spokesperson added.
The association has now delivered a clear ultimatum: “If our demands are not addressed in the coming days, we will take to the streets in thousands—both in Srinagar and Jammu. This is only the beginning.”
The lecturers’ plight underscores a deeper crisis in IIOJK’s education system, one where apathy and silence have become the administration’s only response to genuine grievances.
