EDUCATION

UT teachers demand promotion
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 29 — The functioning of the UT Education Department was criticised at the general-body meeting of the Government Teachers Union (GTU) held today near the Sector 20 Jama Masjid ground. The meeting which was headed by Mr Kushali Ram Sharma, was to discuss the problems and demands of the UT-cadre teachers.

The members said a number of senior teachers would retire shortly without ever getting a single promotion in their career due to the "faulty" working of the department.

The members urged the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai, to resolve their long-pending issues. In a press note issued here today, they said their demands included promotion of the UT-cadre teachers as lecturers and headmasters, release of the seniority list of all cadre teachers; confirmation of services of teachers, formation of transfer policy, review of examination and admission policies, appointment of an educationist as DPI (schools), teacher-pupil ratio to be 1:40 at the maximum.

ABVP to oppose extension to Puri
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 29 — The Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) will oppose any move to grant extension to Prof M.M. Puri as the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, whose term expires in July.

This was stated in a press release issued here today by Mr Surat Negi, President of the ABVP campus unit. He said the students feel that the VC has lost all moral right to expect an extension. His involvement in appointment of teachers, enormous phone bills, indulgence in wasteful expenditure, involvement in a dispute with the Chandigarh Administration definitely go against his getting an extension.

The release mentioned that as per government norms, a person retires at the age of 65 but Mr Puri, who is 70, has well exceeded that limit. Hence, even the age criterion goes against his extension now.

The ABVP has appealed to the authorities concerned to appoint a person of academic distinction with broad vision regarding educational trends as the next Vice-Chancellor.