Central university teachers go on strike today

Teachers of various universities including Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Milia Islamia University and Jamia Hamdard University are to observe a strike on Thursday cancelling the classes which were to be held.

The strike has been called by university teachers' association to protest against the delay in the finalisation of report of UGC pay revision committee.

Around 16,000 teachers from across 22 central universities are supposed to be a part of the strike. JNU is to experience such a strike after a long period of 10 years.

Federation of Central Universities Teachers' Association (FEDCUTA) demands that the report of the committee headed by Prof G K Chadha should be submitted soon, as told by Aditya Narayan Mishra, president of DU Teachers Association, to the reporters. It had earlier demanded that the committee’s report be submitted by July 31.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh had intervened with the UGC in the matter on the request of the association.

A delegation of the federation held a meeting with University Grants Commission chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat on Tuesday to convey their apprehensions on the issue.

Kamal Mitra Chenoy, the President of JNU Teachers Association said that the teachers will not take classes although they can sign papers required by students.

Mishra termed teaching as the mother of all profession and expressed his woe on the lowest ranking of the same. He stressed upon the fact that overhaul of working and service conditions for faculty members would strengthen the education system.

The federation demands include higher pay scale at the entry level for teachers, fast and sound career advancement scheme for the teachers. The federation also emphasised on the increasing attrition rate to poor packages and slow promotional avenues.

But despite constant efforts by the association, Chadha Committee, appointed in September 2007, has said it would take at least three more months to complete its report.