College teachers protest, not to check papers today in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: Assistant professors of various city colleges will be boycotting the evaluation of examination papers of Panjab University on Monday. There are four evaluation centres in the city, including SCD Government College, Government College for Girls, GGN Khalsa College, and AS College, Khanna.
However, the assistant professors of 21 aided and nine government colleges of the city would not be evaluating the exams which were held in December. They have also announced that the colleges would remain closed on January 18, as a mark of their protest.
A demand letter will be also submitted to the deputy commissioner in the DC office. The decision was jointly taken by Non-Government Aided College Management Federation (NGCMF), Principals’ Union, Punjab Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU), Private Unaided Colleges Union, and Joint Action Committee (JAC).
The assistant professors have demanded the rolling back of centralised college admission portal of the Punjab government. Besides, they have also asked that retirement age not be reduced to 58 years, and that grant-in-aid schemes share be increased from 75% to 95% for all the aided staff, and that self-financed posts in aided colleges be converted to grant-in-aid posts.
The association members had also met former education minister (colleges) Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and finance minister Harpal Cheema, however there was no reply from them.
PCCTU district president Chamkaur Singh, who is an assistant professor at AS College, Khanna, claimed the government’s decision was arbitrary, and was tampering with the service rules of teachers.
Sundar Singh, secretary, PCCTU Ludhiana, and assistant professor of physical education at Arya College, said, “The teachers will be most-affected by this decision of reducing the retirement age, as already two years of working period has been reduced, and also teachers in unaided colleges do not get any pensions. Thus, government should roll back this decision of reducing the age limit of teaching staff from 60 years to 58 years.”
He added, “We demand that all the professors working on unaided posts should be converted to aided posts, so that the shortage of teachers in aided colleges would be fulfilled and the financial burden on the colleges would also be reduced. Hence, youth will get quality education at an affordable fee.”
They also demanded that the government gives 95% grant to the aided staff in 21 aided colleges of Ludhiana, but the government has reduced the grant to 75% for the teachers newly recruited on 1,925 posts, thereby making it difficult for these aided colleges to manage finances. The financial burden has increased on colleges and it has become difficult for professors to get a salary, thus pinching the pockets of students.