Thiruvananthapuram: Those on the Public Service Commission (PSC) rank lists would be given preference during the recruitment of guest lecturers in government and aided colleges in Kerala. 

The Department of Higher Education has released guidelines for guest lecturer recruitment as the admission process of first-year undergraduate programmes at various universities in the state has been completed. 

The state government in its annual budget had decided to increase the salary of guest lecturers to Rs 50,000.  As per UGC regulations, the person appointed as guest lecturer must be qualified to be appointed as an Assistant Professor. Furthermore, those registered under the guest teacher panel in the respective regional deputy directorates can be considered for appointment.

According to guidelines issued by the Higher Education Department, the maximum work hours of a  guest lecturer is three hours per day. This mandate should be followed while readying the master timetable. For instance, if a guest lecturer has to work for 11 hours or more in a week then the master timetable should be structured for 5 days (maximum).    

Since the appointment is on the basis of daily wages, the person would only receive the salary for the working days. The person would not be eligible for any other benefits. 

Furthermore, before appointing guest lectures, it should be ensured that permanent teachers have work time of 16 hours. In addition, colleges can appoint guest lecturers per the principal's order for college excursions, invigilation duties, evaluations, and activities related to the arts and sports.