Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Dec 8: The decision of the pre university class teachers to strike work indefinitely, at a time when the final examinations are approaching, has given rise to a sense of worry among the students and their parents alike. The teachers are angry about the pay disparity that has continued even during salary revision. They say their counterparts in neighbouring states have been drawing much better pay than them and the state government has done precious little to address their grievances. The parents are concerned about the likely adverse affect this strike may have on the future prospects of their children.

The government is worried that if it agrees to meet their demand, more classes of employees may come up with similar demand. The lecturers say that the government, which promised them to sort out the issue when they had threatened to boycott answer paper valuation work in April this year, has not done anything to address their problems since then. The state Chief Minister (CM), D V Saadananda Gowda, who had promised to the teachers at Hubli on September 5 to sort out their problems within two weeks, also failed to keep his word. The assurance of the government given at a meeting of the office bearers of the association with the CM on November 10 to give written promise towards their demands within 10 days, has also failed to materialize.

In the meanwhile, Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) has pledged its support to the striking teachers. AMUCT president, Ummappa Poojary, and general secretary, Dr Dennis Fernandes, said that there is an urgent necessity to fix the pay scales of PU teachers at a respectable level to attract talented people to the teaching field.  Federation of University and College Teachers Association in Karnataka (FUKTAK), at its general body meeting held at Bangalore on December 4, also announced its solidarity with the decision of PU teachers to boycott their classes.