Mangalore: Bhoje Gowda JD(S) Candidate for Southwest Graduates Constituency

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)

Mangalore, Feb 22: S L Bhoje Gowda, member of state bar council, has been chosen as the JD(S) candidate for the southwest graduate constituency elections to be held in June.

Addressing a press meet here on Wedneday February 22, Bhoje Gowda said that he was selected as per the recommendation of JD(S) leaders to contest for the southwest graduate constituency.

He said that thought there are lacs of graduates in Dakshina Kannada, the enrolment is scarce. "D H Shankaramurthy who has won these elections four times has not made any effort to increase the number of enrolments," he alleged.

He also took a dig at chief minister Sadananda Gowda and said that though he has been saying that many posts are lying vacant in several departments, no initiative has been taken to fill those posts. "Shankaramurthy being graduates' representative and Capt Ganesh Karnik being teachers' representative in the legislative council have failied to put pressure on the issue of sorting problems faced by their constituencies," he said.

He also stressed that the umemployment problem faced by graduates should be tackled.

On the issue of appointment of teachers, he said that instead of filling vacancies with permanent lecturers, the recruitment is carried out like contract labour, wherein an agency recruits the teachers on contract and hence pays them low salaries. He compared this with the procedured followed by any security agency, and reiterated that as the teachers are not directly appointed by the government, they are paid less.

"In every budget the governmentt says that all the problems of the graduates and the teachers will be solved but their demands are not met," he said.

He also spoke on the problems arising out of transfer of teachers. "As teachers are posted in faraway places which they are not familiar with, they as well as students face problems in language and communication. This problem has to be solved. Appointment of teachers in their own hometowns will also solve the problem of unemplyment district-wise," he said.

"Basic facilities are lacking in government schools, and that is why, though there are good teachers, parents want to send their children to private schools," he said.

Already 43,000 voters have been enrolled in graduates list, and the election is expected to take place between June 10 and 15.