Principals, lecturers brought under KESMA

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 12. The Government today brought within the purview of the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (KESMA) the principals, lecturers and office bearers of the teaching and non-teaching staff association to end the boycott of valuation of work of second year PU examination.

Warning the striking employees and those instigating them of the consequences of the notification bringing them under the purview of KESMA, the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Mr. H. Vishwanath, said the valuation work would be completed at all costs before June 5 by making alternative arrangements if the teachers continued their boycott.

Mr. Vishwanath told presspersons that 18 valuation centres in Bangalore, two in Mysore and one in Dharwad had been opened. But he was yet to get information of those who had reported for work. They would be kept open tomorrow and on Sunday to enable valuators to carry out their work.

As an alternative measure, not only those who had been enrolled for valuation work, but lecturers working in Government and aided degree colleges, who had been teaching pre-university classes for the last four years, had been permitted to report for valuation work with an eligibility letter from the principals concerned, even though they had not been enrolled for valuation work. They would be enrolled on the spot, the minister said.

A list of lecturers working in unaided pre-university colleges, who are eligible for valuation work had been sent to the deputy directors of PU Education. Apart from this, those who retired less than a year ago as pre-university teachers could report for valuation work. All those reporting for valuation would be given protection, he added.

According to Mr. Vishwanath, 11,000 teachers had been enrolled for valuation work. The work should have commenced on April 18, but for the boycott decision by teachers, who had demanded UGC pay parity.

Mr. Vishwanath expected that at least 50 per cent of those enrolled for valuation work would report at their respective centres by Monday specially after an assurance of protection was given to them. He made it clear that there was no question of talks on the demands of teachers unless they reported for work first. When his attention was drawn to the possibility of erratic valuation by the ``disgruntled teachers, Mr. Vishwanath said the sanctity of valuation would be safeguarded by the Government. He said the time for admission to degree and other courses would be extended suitably.

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Section  : Regional
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