Agitating government college teachers in Manipur on Tuesday resolved to go ahead with its planned intensified forms of stirs even as chief minister N Biren Singh appealed for a talk.
Teachers of government colleges were on strike for the last 10 days under the banner of the Federation of Government College Teachers Associations (FEGOCTA), pressing the state government to adopt 7th UGC Pay and Regulations 2018 in the state.
The teachers were on a series of sit-in-protest at various colleges in the last 10 days without affecting the normal classes and were planning to intensify their stir from February 12 by taking mass casual leave for two days.
It will be followed by indefinite class boycott stir from February 17 as resolved by FEGOCTA in a meeting convened on February 6 last.
Chief minister N Biren Singh today made an appeal to the striking teachers to review their decision of boycotting class considering the student community, in the house of the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly.
During a calling attention motion, the chief minister admitted that the state government had agreed to adopt the 7th UGC Pay and Regulations 2018.
The state cabinet had agreed to adopt the same in principle. However, the implementation of the same was delayed because of the adverse impact of Covid-19 on the state’s economy and its precarious financial conditions.
The striking should know the financial problem being faced by the state. The state government had even cut almost half of the budget allocations of each department to meet the expenses incurred in the fight to contain the pandemic.
The teachers should think of the condition of the state economy. The government would like to hold a talk with the leaders of the agitating teachers.
“Do come to the negotiating table and cooperate with the government in finding a solution,” he told the house.
Earlier responding to a call attention motion, state education minister S Rajen Singh assured the house that the state government will address the demand of the college teachers as soon as possible.
Despite the appeal of the chief minister, college teachers will go ahead with its planned stirs, said FEGOCTA, in a statement, today.
“The government college teachers are set to take mass casual leaves on February 12 and 13. It will be followed by class boycott from February 17,” FEGOCTA general secretary Dr N Somorendro Singh said, in the statement.
These were decided at the collective sit-in-protests cum meeting of government college teachers organised by FEGOCTA at D M College of Science, Imphal on February 6, he reminded.
“The government college teachers did not and do not want agitations in the past and present. Therefore, the college teachers request for orders of 7th UGC Pay and Regulations, 2018 at the earliest to avoid any disturbance in academic atmosphere in the colleges,” FEGOCTa stated.
Under the aegis of FEGOCTA, college teachers were staging sit-in-protests for the 10 day.
As the past three written assurances to FEGOCTA have not been fulfilled, there is a trust deficit, it added.
Unless the orders of 7th UGC Pay and Regulations, 2018 are issued, the present agitations will continue as resolved in FEGOCTA executive committee meetings.
Teachers have been compelled to undertake the unprecedented 5th agitations by FEGOCTA. The sit-in-protests was held in different government colleges in hill and valley areas, the statement claimed.
