Taking note of the “unprecedented” attack on public-funded education and higher educational institutions through proposed regulations like the one on graded autonomy and setting up of the Higher Education Finance Agency, the Federation of Central Universities’ Teachers’ Associations (FEDCUTA) has called for an all-India agitation.
During its national executive meet, held at Jamia Millia Islamia over the weekend, the members said the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development was forcing all Central universities to generate resources through self-financing courses and fee hike. They expressed their opposition to the manner in which such measures are being taken without consultation with stakeholders.
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Pay revision notification
The FEDCUTA national executive reiterated its demand that all Central universities have elected representation in statutory bodies and that all permanent appointments be made of Vice-Chancellors to all universities, including Visva Bharati.
FEDCUTA president Rajib Ray said the meet discussed the 7th pay revision notification for teachers and condemned the fact that the government had for the first time refused to make public the pay commission report.
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“The national executive noted with dismay the serious downgrading of the teaching profession and teachers’ representatives reiterated their demand for complete roll-back of arbitrary and illogical quantification of teachers’ work through the Academic Performance Indicators system, which has led to a decline in the quality of research,”he said.
FEDCUTA secretary Ayesha Kidwai said the national executive had decided to coordinate with the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations and launch a nationwide stir through joint programmes from end of January or beginning of February at the UGC and during the Budget session of Parliament to highlight their demands and ensure that government funding for higher education is not withdrawn.