Patiala: Students suffer as teachers boycott varsity exam duties

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 31

Chaos prevailed this morning as students who turned up for their exams were not allowed to enter colleges because of the strike by the teachers.

On a call given by the Joint Action Committee (JAC), teachers at various colleges today started an indefinite boycott of all university examinations to oppose the centralised admission process.

The JAC comprises Aided College Managements, Principals’ Associations of three state universities and Punjab Chandigarh Colleges Teachers’ Union (PCCTU).

Referring to an official letter dated May 26, Dr Khushvinder Kumar, president of the Principals’ Association, expressed concern regarding the government’s preference for private universities over aided colleges to serve “vested interests”. Shocked at the “backstabbing” by the Punjab Government, he said they would intensify the strike if the government does not schedule a meeting with them at the earliest. He also vouched for the establishment of a Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA) for ensuring high standards of education and for checking any discrepancies in it.

The teachers at the sit-in opposed the “coercive” action of the Punjab Government and said the “dictatorial step of centralised admission portal will not be beneficial for the colleges as the availability of seats far exceeds the number of aspirants in the colleges”.

The representatives of the JAC said they empathised with the students, but blamed the government for the harassment caused to them.