Members of Joint Action Council of Teachers on Tuesday staged a demonstration in front of Regional Joint Director of Collegiate Education urging the State government to withdraw the government order (GO No.137) that mandates college teachers to get approval of the Higher Education Department for contesting elections to Senate and Syndicates of universities.
P. David Livingstone, zonal secretary, Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers Association (TNGCTA), led the agitation. A large number of college teachers from different parts of the delta districts took part in it.
He said that the GO had curtailed the rights of college teachers enjoyed for several years. It was curtailing their democratic right. The unwanted condition would prevent teachers from being part of decision making bodies of universities. They urged the State government to follow the practice of appointing senior most professor of government colleges as Director of Collegiate Education. The post should not be filled up with an IAS officer.
Implementation of Defined Benefit Scheme instead of Contributory Pension Scheme, fixing consolidated pay of temporary teachers in affiliated colleges, model colleges and others as Rs.25,000 were their other demands.