Hundreds of university and college teachers staged a protest rally in Chandigarh on Tuesday to press for the implementation of the UGC 7th Pay Commission by the Punjab government.
Under the banner of the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (PFUCTO), teachers marched towards the residence of the Punjab chief minister. However, they were stopped by the Chandigarh Police and hundreds of men and women courted arrest. Members of different teachers’ bodies of Punjab and Chandigarh took part in the protest.
The teachers are demanding the immediate implementation of the revised UGC pay scales and withdrawal of the decision of the Punjab government to delink the scales of teachers of universities and colleges from the UGC.
The Principals’ Associations of GNDU, PU and Punjabi University have also joined the protest. Dr HS Kingra, president, PFUCTO, said, “Our fight is not just about the pay scales but about the future of the higher education in Punjab which is already in a shambles. This fight is for providing quality education for the youth of Punjab.”
The teachers have also decided to initiate an indefinite fast from Wednesday and are expected to boycott all academic work to press for their demands.
President of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) Mritunjay Kumar, who also participated in the protest, said, “We have already discussed the matter with the CM and the finance minister and we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved with a positive outcome. However, we are always with the PFUCTO in any matter related to the issue as part of the federation.”
Last week, a PUTA delegation had met finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal over the pending implementation of the UGC pay scales. A few days ago, a PUTA delegation also met the CM.
{{/usCountry}}Last week, a PUTA delegation had met finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal over the pending implementation of the UGC pay scales. A few days ago, a PUTA delegation also met the CM.
{{/usCountry}}