Teachers stage dharna seeking arrears

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 4.Members of Osmania University Teachers' Association (OUTA) on Tuesday staged a `dharna' inside OU administrative building to press the university and the Government to conceded their long pending demands. They raised slogans like "we demand arrears".

The demands include extending revised UGC 1996 pay scales to the merit promotion teachers, payment of arrears of revised pay from January 1, 1996 to June 30, 1999, implementation of career advancement scheme from the date of eligibility and computation of pension at the rate of 50 per cent of the last pay drawn at the age of 62 years (superannuation).

Prof. K. Purushotham Reddy, president of OUTA, while inaugurating the dharna programme, said the members would participate in mass hunger-strike on July 7 after taking mass casual leave and also in the `chalo Chief Minister' rally here on July 13.

Addressing the agitators, Prof. Reddy and Prof. P.L. Vishwesher Rao, secretary-general, AP Federation of University Teachers' Associations (APFUTA) opposed the cut in block grant to the university and demanded immediate restoration and release of earlier grants sanctioned for various universities.

According to Prof. Rao, the teaching staff of the Kakatiya University boycotted their academic and administrative work on Tuesday and took part in a rally. Teachers of the Andhra University, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University and Nagarjuna University took out rallies to press the demands.

Prof. Rao wanted the State Government not to interfere in the functioning of the universities. He said the federation was opposed to the inclusion of the Commissioner of Collegiate Education in the university selection committee and privatisation of higher education. He wanted the State Government to fill up immediately 1,500 teaching posts which had been lying vacant in various universities in the State.

The federation, Prof. Rao said, condemned the "anti-academic, anti-teacher" decisions taken by the VCs at their recent conference, particularly the decision to implement the career advancement Scheme from June 1, 2000 "totally violating the Government Order.

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Section  : Southern States
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