E-Paper
Teachers to boycott felicitation functions
IN PROTEST against the attack on a professor in Ujjain that caused his death, degree college teachers of the State have decided to boycott felicitation programmes on Teachers? Day this year.
IN PROTEST against the attack on a professor in Ujjain that caused his death, degree college teachers of the State have decided to boycott felicitation programmes on Teachers’ Day this year.
A decision to this effect was taken at an emergent meeting of the Kanpur University Association and the Federation of the Uttar Pradesh University College Teachers’ Association (FUPUCTA). Members of the two associations have also decided to observe the day as “Murder Day”.
The members have also decided that they would sport black badge to press for the arrest of the criminals. They have also demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.
The members expressed their concern over the growing cases of teachers and professors being intimidated and said that it was a result of the weak political resolve and laxity of the local administration.
Some members said that no discussion on rights of teachers working in the self-financing colleges (SFCs) was ever held. They added that apart from not taking up cudgels on their behalf, the two associations treated them as aliens.
They said that despite being appointed after taking UGC qualifications into consideration, these teachers had been denied salary and other service conditions enjoyed by their counterparts in aided colleges. They alleged that some SFC owners, who were also teacher leaders, did not deem it fit to take up teachers’ cause, as their own interests would be hurt.
The members said that in spite of charging hefty fees from the students in the name of development, the colleges did not have good libraries or proper seats in the classrooms. In addition, the teachers were not paid minimum wages.
However, during inspection, the college administration got the essential items on hire and removed those once the check was over. This way, they received the university approval for teaching courses.
These members said that the teachers’ associations, both at the district and the State level, had proved to be a big failure and the teachers needed aggressive and dynamic leadership to settle their long pending issues.
