Teachers suspend exam evaluation for 2 days

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 17

State government college teachers will suspend the evaluation of the final year annual examinations for two days on a call given by the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation in protest against the non-implementation of UGC pay scales by the governments of Himachal and Punjab.

A resolution regarding the suspension of the evaluation of the scripts of the final year annual examinations for two days (July 19 and 20) was adopted and sent to the government today.

In the resolution, the Himachal Government College Teachers Association (HGCTA) expressed resentment and anxiety over the non-implementation of the UGC pay scales notified by the Union Government in 2018 that had been implemented by all states except Punjab and Himachal.

Since Himachal follows Punjab with regard to pay scales and allowances, the government teachers have been left in the lurch due to the lackadaisical approach of the Punjab Government, which has notified the Sixth Pay Commission scales for its employees from July 1, 2021, but not implemented the UGC pay scales for the college and university teachers.

The association sought the intervention of the Chief Secretary. It said the evaluation would resume on July 21 though they would wear black badges. However, if the Punjab Government did not implement the UGC pay scales soon, teachers would launch an agitation on the call of the Punjab College Teachers’ Association, said HGCTA president Dharmvir Singh.

He urged the Chief Secretary to take up the issue with the Punjab Government for the early notification of the UGC pay scales. HGCTA general secretary RL Sharma urged him to convene a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for principals as around 80 of 130 colleges were without regular principals.

The posts of professor in colleges were not being created and filled, as per the UGC regulation. Extra increments for M.Phil, and PhD withdrawn arbitrarily after October 1, 2014, had not been restored. The services rendered as contractual teachers were not being counted for promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) while the UGC rules have a provision for it, the leaders said.