EDUCATION

Teachers to protest privatisation move
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
The Anti-Privatisation Adhyapak Morcha has flayed the state government for issuing “distorted version of its earlier statements”. Mr Charan Singh Sarabha, general secretary of the Government School Teachers Union, in a press statement today said in this year’s budget, it was proposed to revamp educational standards and the government would pay due compensation to private establishments, who were to impart education under government policies. “Such statements are indications to privatise government schools”, said Mr Sarabha.

Mr Sarabha said if government really wanted to revamp education system, it would have filled 30,000 posts of teachers lying vacant in the state since years. Mr Sarabha said a large section of teachers would participate in the state-level rally against government’s move to privatise education at Jalandhar on May 15.

Meanwhile, the Joint Teachers Front has decided to stage dharnas against the privatisation move on May 12 at Jagraon and at Khanna on May 13.According to a press release, the teachers will protest wearing black badges. The leaders said they would struggle for the constitutional right of the children.

Teachers resent non-academic duties
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
Government teachers in the state are up in the arms against the bureaucrats over the issue of their duties on “non-academic work”.They feel that not only the work in the schools has suffered a set-back, but the teachers, too, are a harassed lot.

The teachers are being put on to non-academic work by the administration despite state government’s orders to put them to “election-duties” only, said the leaders of various teachers unions.

Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, president Government Primary Teachers Association, Punjab, told Ludhiana Tribune that the Principal Secretary, School Education, Ms Tejinder Kaur, in her orders issued on April 5, had asked all Deputy Commissioners in the state not to put teachers on non-academic work “except election duties” without prior approval of the department of school education. “In utter violation of these orders, we are being forced to give duties on non-academic work”, said Mr Dhillon.

According to reliable sources in the Education Department, almost 50 per cent of the teachers in the district were given duties to conduct door-to-door economic survey. Teachers have been asked to get the performas filled by the employers/employees of shops, factories and residents etc and to submit the same with the district administration.

Mr Baldev Krishan Moudgil, general secretary, Government Primary Teachers Association, Punjab, said it was unfortunate that more than 30,000 posts of teacher were lying vacant in the state. In absence of quality teachers, the education system in schools suffered a lot. “More than 300 posts of teachers are lying vacant in the district. It is the admission season and more teachers are required for admission work but they have been allotted duties on irrelevant work”, said Mr Moudgil.

“Though, they pay us for these duties but we do not want to compromise with the studies of students. Mr Harnam Das Johar, Education Minister, has understood our problem and supported us. On the other hand, the officials threaten us of dire consequences if we refuse to obey their orders”, alleged Mr Dhillon.

Meanwhile, Mr Anurag Verma, Deputy Commissioner, said another letter was issued by the Secretary, Planning, Mr A.R. Talwar, recently which said teachers would continue to work for economic census apart from their academic duties. “Confusion prevails among teachers over these issued letters but we have requested the Secretary Planning to clear the picture”, said Mr Verma.

Unions oppose PAU bifurcation
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 3
The PAU Employees Union and the PAU Class IV Workers Union jointly staged a dharna here today in front of the Thaper Hall against the bifurcation of Punjab Agricultural University. Reiterating their stand regarding the setting up of the veterinary university by bifurcating the PAU, the union president, Mr D.P. Maur, and general secretary, Mr Amrit Pal, of the PAU Employees Union, respectively, said it would be an unfortunate development.

They said although the unions were not opposed to setting up of new institutions and universities as it indicated growth and progress, but it should not be at the cost of the existing and world reputed institutions like the PAU. They said bifurcating the PAU would amount to “retreat”.

Union leaders pointed out that it was the PAU which placed India from a food-deficit to a food-surplus state and contributed significantly towards dairy development. The agriculture and animal husbandry are the two inter-disciplinary streams. These cannot be developed in isolation and independent of each other. They demanded that the employees of the PAU should not be transferred to any other institution without their consent.

Mr Pal Singh, president and Mr Hardev Ghaloti, general secretary of the PAU Class IV Workers Union, also flayed the bifurcation of the PAU as, they said, it would add to their miseries.

The unions are holding a rally tomorrow in front of Thapar Hall against non-receipt of salaries and against the double audit system. A rally ‘save PAU’ will be held on May 10.

Suspended PAU employees stage dharna

Ludhiana, May 3
Two suspended employees of Punjab Agricultural University, Mr Sat Pal Sharma, Accounts Officer, and Mr Ram Saran Arora, Administrative cum Accounts Officer, today staged a dharna in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office, protesting against their continued suspension. They alleged that they were being victimised. While Mr Sharma was suspended on October 4, 2004, Mr Arora was suspended on December 17, 2004.

The protesting employees alleged that a reign of terror had been let loose on employees and the voice of dissent was not being allowed to be raised in the university. They alleged that while one of them (Sharma) was suspended for reportedly making a representation to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, the reasons for Mr Arora’s suspension were still not known, they said.

The two employees alleged that they were being victimised just because they opposed the entry of an “ineligible and incompetent person as the Comptroller in the university”.

They claimed that the person concerned had wrongly fixed salaries of many teachers making them draw more pay than their due and the university was recovering the money which ran into crores of rupees.

The employees said, they wanted to draw the attention of the Governor and the Chief Minister, towards their miserable plight. TNS

Varsity staff not paid salary
K.S. Chawla

Ludhiana, May 3
Teaching and non-teaching staff of Punjab Agricultural University has not been paid the salary for the month of April so far as the state government has not released the grant for the months of March and April. PAU has already lost Rs 40.26 crore as this amount was to be received before March 31 and the same has lapsed now, maintain the state authorities.

Enquiries showed that the state government pays Rs 80 crore as grants for the non-plan agriculture schemes and Rs 10 crore for the veterinary schemes for the non-plan per year. The quarterly grants are sanctioned but the same are received every month which is disbursed as salary to the teaching and non-teaching staff.

According to Dr V. K. Sharma, Registrar of Punjab Agricultural University, the state government did not release grants worth Rs 10.25 crore for the month of March and the university had to pay the salary from its own savings.

The Registrar said the state government grants were not sufficient to meet the salary component of the staff even and the pension fund had also been depleted. The state government had been requested to replenish the pension fund as well.

The financial deficit of the university is rising from Rs 15.08 crore in 2002-2003, to Rs 23.17 crore in 2003-2004. The university authorities have urged the state government to immediately release the grants of the university so that salary could be paid to the staff.

Kushvinder PCCTU dist council chief
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
The annual session of the district council of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union was held at the Malwa Central College of Education, here on Sunday. Prof Rohit Kumar, district secretary, presented the annual report.

The district council appealed to the Chief Minister to implement the Johal Committee recommendations on the funding of higher education. Meanwhile, Prof Kushvinder Singh of the GHG College of Education was elected the district president. He was supported by the Brar-Jagwant group. He polled 49 votes whereas his opponent, Mr Kanwaljit Singh, of GTB College, Dakha, who was supported by the Hundal-Tiwari group, got 39 votes.

SPORTS

Punjab, Delhi athletes share honours
Anil Datt

Ludhiana, May 3
Hosts Punjab in the senior section and Delhi in the junior section emerged triumphant to bag the overall trophies in the three-day second North Zone Annual Athletic Meet for the visually impaired organised by the Punjab Sports Association for the Blind which concluded at Guru Nanak Stadium here today.

In the senior section, Mandeep Singh in the B-I category of Punjab clinched three gold medals (200 m, 400 m and long jump), Sunil of Punjab, too, won three gold medals (shot put, discus throw and javelin throw) while in the B-II category, local lad Balvinder Singh added three gold medals to his team’s kitty (long jump, 100 m and javelin throw) and Ravinder Singh Nagar of Delhi wrapped up three gold medals in the B-III category (100 m, 200 m and long jump).

In the junior section, Yogesh Kumar of Delhi (B-I category) and Kunwarpal Singh, also of Delhi made his presence felt winning three gold medals in the B-II category ( 100 m, 200 m and shot put) while in the B-III category, Gurbinder Singh of Faridkot clinched two gold (discus throw and 100 m) and one silver and (long jump).

Mr Surinder Dawar, Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, was the chief guest at the prize distribution function. Mr Satinder Singh Jawaddi, Councillor, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana was also present on the occasion. Mr Malkit Singh Sidhu, an NRI, annoucned a cash assistance of Rs 10,000 for the organisers.

Today’s results: shot put (B-I for juniors)-Kapil Dev of Punjab 1, Parminder Kumar of Haryana 2 and Amritpal Singh of Punjab 3; B-II for junior-Kunwal Pal of Delhi 1, Ranjit Singh of Punjab 2 and Jarnail Singh 3; B-III-Bhim Singh of Haryana 1, Sita Ram of Punjab 2; javelin throw- B-II Sunil Pal of Punjab 1, Nirmal Singh of Punjab 2 and Jaskirat Singh of Punjab 3.