English teachers from various districts of North Karnataka joined PU evaluation boycott here on Tuesday by abstaining from evaluation work and taking out a protest march seeking parity in pay-scale.
Though the English college teachers reported for duty at Mahila Vidyapeetha in Vidyanagar, Hubballi, they refused to take up evaluation work and did not accept answer papers for evaluation.
First, the English teachers gathered in front of the main entrance of the college and a few of them addressed the gathering.
They blamed the State government for forcing them to boycott evaluation.
Subsequently, they took out a protest march from Mahila Vidyapeetha premises to the Mini Vidhana Soudha, which houses the Hubballi Tahsildar’s office.
They raised slogans seeking immediate steps to address the disparity in the pay-scales of the degree college and PU college teachers.
On reaching the Mini Vidhana Soudha, the protesting teachers staged a demonstration and State Secretary of Karnataka PU College Principals and Lecturers Association S.K. Choureddi and Joint Secretary of Haveri district unit S.B. Sangapur condemned the delay in addressing their issue.
They said that there was disparity in the pay-scales of the PU and degree college teachers ever since the State Pay Commission’s report in 1993.
Despite the PU teachers complaining to various authorities concerned, the Pay Commissions in 1998, 2004, 2008 and 2012 failed to address their grievances. Despite repeated agitations, the State had failed to initiate steps, which had forced them to boycott evaluation.
In the same breath, they clarified that they would not spoil the future of the students and that they were committed to completing the evaluation work so as to facilitate timely announcement of results.
Examination work
The protesting teachers also clarified that considering the future of the students they would attend work during the re-exam of Chemistry subject.
They then submitted a memorandum to Hubballi Tahsildar H.D. Nagavi.
In Dharwad
Dharwad Staff Correspondent reports:
The lecturers boycotted evaluation of II Pre-University accountancy answer papers at the Karnataka Education Board’s PU College in Dharwad.
The lecturers, who came from different colleges, refused to do coding, de-coding and start evaluation.
The lecturers expressed support to the State-wide boycott of evaluation and shouted slogans against the State government.
Later, addressing a meeting of valuators who have boycotted evaluation, BJP State vice-president M. Nagaraj condemned the government for delaying implementation of the recommendations of the Kumar Naik report on removal of disparities in pay structure.
