State-wide 'college bandh' on August 9

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JULY 31. Colleges throughout the State will not function on August 9. The Federation of University and College Teachers' Associations in Karnataka has announced a ``college bandh' on that day in protest against the Government's higher education policies.

Over 8,000 teachers of degree colleges (government and aided) will boycott classes on that day and stage a day-long dharna in their respective colleges, the President of the federation, Prof. Ravindra Reshme said here on Tuesday. He told presspersons that despite persistent efforts by the federation to persuade the authorities to either defer or drop the implementation of some of the ``retrograde decisions'', the Government remained unmoved.

``The dharna is aimed at creating awareness among students and the general public about the issues that are threatening to destabilise collegiate education in Karnataka. Associations of the non-teaching community have also extended their support to our strike,'' he claimed.

If the Government failed to meet the demands of the teachers, the federation would launch an intensified agitation from August 25, he warned.

Listing the demands, he said the bifurcation of composite degree colleges and separation of pre-university sections should be deferred, and the draconian features of the Karnataka Universities Bill 2001 eliminated.

Withdrawing the policy of permanent withdrawal of grant-in-aid for all vacant posts, regularisation of the services of temporary and part-time lecturers as per Supreme Court guidelines, evolving a rational and scientific formula for the transfer of government college teachers and redeployment of private college teachers, recognition of the past services of local, contract and stop-gap lecturers for the purpose of placement and other benefits, and elimination of anomalies in the revised UGC pay-scales were some of the other demands of the federation, he said.

``We appeal to the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, and the Higher Education Minister, Dr. G. Parameshwar, to respond to our collective grievances and take immediate steps to prevent erosion of academic excellence and demoralisation of the college teachers,'' he added.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Central team to study drought situation arrives
Next     : NAAC to complete grading of varsities by 2002