Intermediate Vidya Samaikyandhra Parirakshana Samiti JAC, a body formed by the lecturers and principals of Government Intermediate Junior Colleges from the 13 Seemandhra districts, has decided to go on indefinite strike from the midnight of September 5, in protest against the Congress Working Committee’s decision to bifurcate the State.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, the Chairman of the JAC V. Ravi said, “Our only demand is Samaikyandhra Pradesh. We are not interested in any kind of compromise with Hyderabad in focus. The State should not be split is our only demand and we will continue the stir till the CWC goes back on its decision." In the Seemandhra region comprising 13 districts, there are about 665 junior Intermediate colleges, wherein there are about 6,000 contract lecturers, 2,000 junior government lecturers, 200 physical directors, 200 librarians and about 175 non-teaching staff. “All of them and even the principals of the junior colleges will join the agitation and we will be shortly handing over the strike notice to the Chief Secretary,” said T. Raja Rao, Chairman of the Junior College Principal’s Association.
On whether the lecturers of the private and corporate junior colleges will be joining the agitation, Mr. Ravi said, “We have spoken to them and are trying to convince them to join the stir. We hope that they would also join, as it is for a noble cause.” In the 13 districts in the 665 government junior colleges it is estimated that there are about 80,000 to one lakh students studying in the two years of Intermediate course and in the private and corporate colleges there are about 4 lakh students. On how they would compensate the loss of teaching hours, Mr. Ravi said, “Once the CWC takes back its decision, we shall resume our duty and conduct extra classes to cover up the loss.”
