EDUCATION

Save Education Divas
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, July 31
The general council of the Government Teachers Union, Punjab, has decided to observe Teachers’ Day as Save Education Divas this year.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the union held at Gujjranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa High School, Model Town, here today in which all district and block presidents participated. Presiding over the meeting, Mr Sucha Singh Khatra, state secretary of the union, said the teachers would hold rallies on that day and protest against the “anti-education policies” of the government. He said over 6000 posts of teacher had been lying vacant in the government schools and no efforts were being made to fill these. He said majority of such posts were not filled for the past over four-five years.

Mr Khatra also said that the present government should fulfil all promises made to them in the election manifesto, including those regarding giving four, nine,14 selection grades to its employees. He regretted that several allowances which were being given to them earlier have also been withdrawn. Mr Khatra said the teachers would present a memorandum of their demands to the Chief Minister and Education Minister and if their demands are not met, the members would launch an agitation.

‘VC bribed to damage PTU’
Our Correspondent

Ahmedgarh, July 31
Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, legislator from Kila Raipur and a former Minister for Technical Education, has accused Ms Promila Dubey, acting Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Technical University, of taking bribes from multinational computer companies and some institutes of south India to put the university’s interests at stake.

He said this at the conclusion of a free medical camp organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad of Mini Chhapar. He said the acting VC had defrauded the Technical Education Department earlier as well.

“The multinationals and the south Indian institutes have made her uproot students from distance-education centres of the PTU to benefit private teaching shops. The study centres have helped people of Punjab save crores of rupees that used to be paid as capitation fee to the south Indian institutes. The PTU did well during the tenure of the previous incumbent, but now, the VC is diverting its funds into her own account,” said the former minister.