Teaching staff attached to five government arts and science colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal regions, under the banner of Pondicherry Society for Higher Education College Teachers’ Association (PCTA), on Wednesday registered their protest by wearing black badges to classes in support of their charter of demands.
The teachers have demanded pay on payday, immediate grant of time-bound promotion, immediate disbursal of allowances recommended by the University Grants Commission (UGC), timely credit of matching contribution to CPF accounts, enhancement of superannuation from 62 to 65.
The PCTA also demanded that a senior academician should be appointed as the Joint Director of Higher and Technical Education, among other demands.
A spokesperson of PCTA said teachers of Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Science, Kathirgamam; Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Arts College; Rajiv Gandhi Arts and Science College; Kasturba College for Women, Puducherry; and Perunthalaivar Kamarajar College of Education, Karaikal, had been agitating for long for the enhanced allowances.
“Though Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and Education Minister A. Namassivayam had promised funds to these institutions in the budget, the Finance Department was reluctant to disburse the earmarked funds. This has been hampering the timely payment of salary, allowances, and time-bound promotion to 75 teaching staff in the five colleges,” a teacher said.
The government established the institutions with the sole aim of providing Puducherry youth with quality higher education at an affordable cost. As many as 4,500 students were studying in these colleges and the Indira Gandhi College of Arts and Science had been ranked among the 200 best colleges in the country, according to the National Institute Ranking Framework, he said.
“While the teachers have been giving their best, the territorial administration has been insensitive to their basic needs and service benefits,” PCTA vice-president D. Ramkumar said.
The teachers would continue to discharge their duties wearing black badges to classes from February 16 to 25. They would go on indefinite hunger strike from February 25 if the demands were not met, he said.
