Chandigarh : Compelled by the snail pace functioning of the Dept of Higher Education (DHE) the PCCTU is going to take path of agitation. Despite a provision of Rs 200 crore in Punjab Govt. Budget in March, not a single penny has reached the colleges as yet. Even in the previous financial year only two quarterly grants of Rs 43 crores each were disbursed and the third quarter was disbursed only to half of the 136 aided colleges of Punjab and fourth quarter drew a blank. As a result 2000 teachers are waiting their salaries for the last 8 months and around 1000 are waiting for the last 11 months. We have appealed a number of times that quarterly grant should be sanctioned in the beginning of the first month of the quarter and final adjustments could be made in the last quarterly grant. We fail to understand the reasons of undue delay despite the required 95% grant sanctioned in the beginning of the financial year.
Another example of the functioning of the DHE is that PCCTU was invited for the official meeting with Honorable Education Minister S Sikandar Singh Maluka on December 20, 2012 and a numbers of decisions were taken, but the minutes of the official meeting have not been conveyed to the union despite our repeated written as well as personal requests to the Principal Secretary Higher Education. In the meeting we reached on certain decisions like Amendment in the Service Security Act of 1974, pay revision (UGC scales from 1/1/2006) of teachers working against un-aided posts in aided colleges, resending of case of relaxation of RC/OC to FD, considering the case of pay revision of teachers working in un-aided colleges, speeding up of arrears of DPEs/ Librarians from 1/1/96, Creation of Posts of Professors in aided Colleges in tune with Govt. Colleges, removal of discrepancies in granting Ph D increments with counter parts in Govt colleges, initiation of dialogue on Pension scheme etc. The cases of Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) are pending for months in DPI (colleges) for want of a clear direction on UGC notification.
A large number of cases of CAS are pending in the Higher Education Department of Union Territory Chandigarh also. Despite, the UGC notification of September 2009 para 10th, clearly states that until and unless the respective state Govts. notified the new CAS (Career Advancement Scheme) the old CAS will continue. Neither the Punjab Govt nor UT Administration has notified the new CAS yet. Even then the cases of CAS are lying pending in the departments of Higher Education. Under such circumstances the Union is compelled to adopt the path of agitation. The PCCTU is going to call a meeting of its Executive Committee on July 24 at DAV College Amritsar where the mode of agitation against the Punjab Govt. will be chalked out.
A peaceful and democratic protest was organized by the teachers of Khalsa College Amritsar on 17.03.11 against the proposal of Khalsa College Amritsar Managing Committee to convert Khalsa College Amritsar into a private University. The union successfully stalled the move to start a private university. The culmination of agitation was a result of a compromise with the management of Khalsa College Amritsar. Now the Principal of the college has refused to honour the agreement and is continuously harassing innocent teachers with a fabricated case. The hearing in the case to frame charges against the teachers’ falls on 25th July hence the union has planned some actions to put our resistance. An extended Executive Committee Dharna will be organised in front of Khalsa College Amritsar on July 24 which will be preceded by 2 period strikes in GNDU colleges on July 19 & 22, and Candle Marches in Jallandhar and Amritsar. Teachers wish a peaceful start of the session but the stony response of the government to our representations and pleadings is forcing us towards agitation. The responsibility of any disturbance in the peaceful campuses will lie on the authorities in the higher education department.