EDUCATION

PCCTU holds zone-level rally
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 24
A zone-level rally of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (Panjab University) was held in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here today. Teachers from Ludhiana, Muktsar, Moga, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepore and Chandigarh participated.

Prof Kanwaljit Singh, its area secretary, said in a press note that teachers had gathered to condemn the ‘anti-teacher, anti-student and anti-people’ policies of the state government. Unconstitutional decisions of modified pension, gratuity scheme, imposition of 10 per cent cut on regular grants, non-inclusion of colleges and posts under 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme were criticised. He said the government had failed to concede and implement the clauses of the UGC notification like counting of total length of service; two increments to Ph.D degree holders; benefit of past service; denial of Rs 2,200 to Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000 to Rs 13,5000 scale to tutors; HRA and RAA to rural colleges; readership in colleges; and lecturers designation.

He said teachers were demanding withdrawal of cut on 95 per cent grant in aid, implementation of notified pension/ gratuity scheme for which executive order was issued and options were taken from college employees along with resolutions of managing committees.

While addressing the rally, Prof S.S.Hundal, president, PCCTU, said the Punjab Government was also not considering investment on higher education that will kill initiative of setting up education in rural colleges; cut on grants will ruin the quality of education; recent decision to abolish the posts and ban on recruitment in colleges was aimed at harming teachers and higher education, which created resentment and anguish among teachers.

Union leaders warned that if the government continued to play hide and seek with the teachers and went ahead with its ‘anti-higher education’ policies, the teachers in private aided and unaided colleges will be forced to intensify its struggle for justice and survival. They announced that the teachers would hold a rally on October 10 at Patiala and will observe ‘total education bandh’.

Among others who spoke on the occasion were Mr Jaipal Singh, Mr Parminder Singh, Mr Hari Singh and Mr Amritpal Singh.

Talent hunt competition
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 24
A talent search competition was organised here today at the BCM College of Education for the newly admitted B.Ed students.

Dr Inderjeet Gill Vashisht, Principal, Government College for Women was the chief guest on the occasion.

The competitions were judged by Ms Neelam Bhardwaj, music lecturer at the GCW. Students presented a variety of items on the occasion. The shabad gayan by Kuldeep Kaur and Mandeep Kaur was appreciated by the audience. In the poetry section, Harmeet Singh and Sarabjit Kaur bagged the first prize, Loveleen Verma won the second prize and Deepak and Daljit Singh were declared third. In the song category, Harminder Singh Kang was given the first prize, while Gurpreet Kaur and Veerinder Singh were declared second. Hitesh won the third prize. A special prize was recommended for a comedy skit (presented by boys) and another special prize was recommended for the choreography presented by girls on ‘Mission Kashmir.’