Teachers hold sit-in against state govt, get AAP backing

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, October 18

Members of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU), comprising teachers of aided colleges across Amritsar and Tarn Taran, held a sit-in and carried out a protest march against the government in favour of their demands today.

On the call of the PCCTU, the teachers sat on a dharna at the Bhandari Bridge and held a hunger strike from 10 am to 5 pm. The hunger strike was followed by a candle march by teachers from the bridge to the Hall Gate.

During the march, district president Malkiat Singh addressed all teachers. He said the lack of education policy was causing policy paralysis in the state and suffering of teachers was only one of the factors.

While speaking on the occasion, unit secretary of DAV College Amritsar, Dr Gurdas Singh Sekhon, criticised the loopholes of the Punjab Government regarding higher education in Punjab. He demanded that the retirement age of college teachers should be increased from 60 to 65 and pension and gratuity facilities should also be given to teachers in Punjab like other districts.

Prof Rajinder Singh, district president, Tarn Taran, said the government should think for the welfare of college teachers in order to save them from the struggle they were facing today as it would directly impact the results of the upcoming election.

Prof RK Jha motivated teachers to take part in programmes to make the government aware regarding its ignorance towards higher education.

District secretary, Prof Shelly Jaggi, demanded child care leave facility for women staff working in private colleges. Meanwhile, Joint secretary Punjab (RTI Wing) of the Aam Aadmi Party, Prof HS Walia, extended the party’s full support to the agitation of the PCCTU.

He recalled that the commitment for granting pension to teachers was made in 1994 by the then Finance Minister Kewal Krishan. Later, the state Assembly approved it and the act was enacted in 1999. But still, the same had not been implemented.