The globally renowned Oxford University is among the richest institutions of the world, with donations worth 64 thousand crore rupees or 6.4 billion pounds. In 2020-21, Oxford had received a research grant worth 80 crore pounds, which was the highest in any British University. But at the same time, the contract faculty is suffering from problems like poor service conditions and less pay. And even after years of working under such situations, the teachers are not regularized.
As per Britain’s statistics of higher studies of 2019-20, 1/3rd out of the total academic staff is on contract, and it is 2/3rd in Oxford. As per the contract, the teachers are paid according to the number of hours of teaching, but for 1 hour of teaching, the teachers need 3-4 hours of preparation, which is not included in the pay. They receive 25 pounds for 1 hour of teaching, while they devote 4 hours, including their preparation. This way, their pay becomes lesser than the minimum rate of 10.42 pounds per hour.
The institution itself believes that a single undergraduate or post-graduate requires 14600 to 21100 pounds annually to live a normal life. The teachers have stated that business cards are also not given to them, and the contracts can be terminated or changed on very short notice. Female teachers do not receive maternity leaves on fixed term contracts and their careers come to an end, and there is no guarantee of them getting renewed later.
