Himachal: Govt college, university teachers to go on strike over UGC pay scales

Tribune News Service

Bhanu P Lohumi

Shimla, June 27

As part of an ‘education bandh’ in Himachal, government college and university teachers across the state will not participate in any academic or non-academic activity till their demand for the implementation of the seventh UGC pay scales is not fulfilled.

Question how govt will implement NEP

• The teachers have also questioned the decision of the state government to implement the National Education Policy-2020 in all colleges from the coming academic session
• They said the ground reality was that 95 out of 140 colleges were running without a Principal and there was a shortage of about 1,500 college teachers
• The result of the UG classes is bound to be delayed due to the ongoing protest but still the authorities are not concerned, members said

Had deferred agitation earlier

We had deferred the agitation on June 8 after the CM announced that revised pay scales will be released. He said a high-powered committee will submit a report. However, no such report was submitted in the Cabinet meeting held recently. Members of teachers’ committee

At a meeting of All Universities and College Teachers’ Joint Action Committee, it has been decided that university teachers would not take part in any academic or non-academic activity from June 28 while the government college teachers would follow suit from July 5 when the colleges open after the summer break.

“We had deferred the agitation on June 8 after Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced on a public platform that revised pay scales would be released. He assured that a high powered committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary will look into the matter and will submit a report to the Cabinet for final approval. However, no such report was submitted in the Cabinet meeting held recently,” said members of the executive committee of Joint Action Committee (JAC) Dr RL Sharma and Dr Joginder Saklani.

On June 25, the CM announced the UGC pay scales for their teachers in the Budget speech and now all states, except Himachal Pradesh, have given UGC pay scales to their teachers, they lamented. There are about 3,000 teachers in state-run universities and government colleges in the state.

The college teachers have already boycotted the evaluation of final examination papers of undergraduate classes since May 12.

The teachers also questioned the decision of the state government to implement the National Education Policy-2020 from the coming academic session. They said 95 out of 140 colleges were running without a Principal and there was a shortage of about 1,500 college teachers.

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