JAC to intensify stir over Centralised admission portal, retirement age row

Amritsar, January 30

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising the Non-Govt Aided Colleges Management Federation (NGACMF), three State Universities’ Principals’ Associations and Punjab Chandigarh Colleges Teachers Union (PCCTU) on Monday decided to intensify their joint agitation against the state government over centralised admission portal and lowering of the college teachers’ retirement age.

The JAC in the meeting held at Khalsa College here reviewed the ongoing developments taking place with regard to the sensitive issues confronting higher education. The meeting was presided over by federation president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina. Federation secretary SM Sharma, Principal Dr Khushwinder Kumar (Patiala University), Principal Dr Gurdev Singh (GNDU University), PCCTU president Dr Vinay Sofat and general secretary Dr Gurdas Singh Sekhon represented various teachers’ bodies in the meeting.

The JAC termed the government’s attitude as ‘callous’ over the issues. “The JAC decided that no college would participate in the ‘discriminatory’ Centralised Admission Portal, which is being implemented by the Department of Higher Education arbitrarily,” said Chhina after the meeting.

Asking the government to come clear over the retirement of teachers at the age of 58 instead of 60 years of age, the JAC appealed to the college managements of all the aided and un-aided colleges not to relieve any teacher or principal at the age of 58 till March 31, since the JAC is in talks with the government on critical issues.

It was decided that on February 7, all teachers in over 200 colleges in Punjab would wear black badges while performing their duties in their respective colleges and observe a stay-in strike from 1 pm to 3 pm on February 10 at their college gates as a mark of protest. They would hoist black flags at the entry gates of the colleges.

Further, on February 15 and 16, the college teachers will observe a complete bandh of the colleges and organise a stay-in strike and dharna at the college gates and hold the march to the deputy commissioner’s office in all districts. “If the government did not move and wake up, we will hold a meeting after February 16 to decide a strategy to go to Chandigarh and gherao the Punjab Vidhan Sabha,” said PCCTU president Dr Sofat.