Cabinet rejects PU teachers' demand

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 5. The State Cabinet today categorically rejected the demand of the pre-university teachers for University Grants Commission (UGC) scales of pay in view of the inability of the Government to bear the heavy financial burden of Rs. 60 crores a year.

According to the Minister of State for Information, Prof. B. K. Chandrashekar, who briefed the press about the decision, said the teachers, who had boycotted valuation work, had been requested by the Cabinet to report for work.

Prof. Chandrashekar and the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Mr. H. Vishwanath, who was present at the briefing, said the Chief Minister had met the representatives of teachers earlier in the morning and explained to them about the heavy financial burden involved and appealed to them to cooperate with the Government.

The teachers, however, had stood firm by their stand and the Chief Minister had told them that the matter would be considered at the meeting of the Cabinet, which rejected the demand and appealed to the teachers to report for work.

Asked about the next course of action, Mr. Vishwanath said the Government would wait for two to three days before thinking of the steps to be taken to end the impasse. The Government was ready for discussion on the other demands of teachers, but this was not acceptable to them. Having taught for one year, the teachers had a moral responsibility to attend to valuation work in the interest of students, Mr. Vishwanath said.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Karnataka State Pre-University Teachers has decided to continue the boycott of valuation of PU examination papers.

Speaking for the teachers, Mr. M. L. V. Naidu, president of the federation, declined to give a date by which the boycott might be called off. ``No time frame has been agreed upon with the Government in which to settle this impasse,'' he said.

The 15-member delegation of teachers would brief the core group of the federation on future course of action, Mr. Naidu said.

In 1998 ``Samyukta Samalochana Samithi,'' a joint representative committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, Ms. Achala Moulik, was constituted to look into the demands of the federation. Mr. Harish Gowda, Director of the PU Board and Government's representative on the committee said two sittings had been held but no progress had been made.

Bifurcation

The Cabinet also decided that the question of bifurcating pre- university course from first grade colleges should be seriously examined, Prof. Chandrashekar said.

Panchayat elections

Though the demand of teachers was discussed at length, the Cabinet meeting itself was primarily called to take stock of the situation following filing of a public interest litigation petition before the High Court questioning certain amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act.

Prof. Chandrashekar declined to say anything on the issue as it was sub judice. The Advocate General had been asked to approach the court with a request to advance the case, which was posted for Tuesday, by a day.

The Law Minister, Mr. D. B. Chandre Gowda, explained the various provisions and said the Government had a good case to present before the court.

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