Teachers want pay review report to be made public

New Delhi: Hundreds of teachers in Delhi marked the occasion of Teacher's Day by marching a protest from Jantar Mantar to the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner, New Delhi – when teachers and student federations were felicitated and celebrated.

The protesters – teachers and employees from central and state universities and colleges across the country – were marching under the banner of All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisations (AIFUCTO) and Federation of Central University Teachers Associations (FEDCUTA).

An official said, "We are protesting against the non-declaration of the Chauhan Pay Review Committee Report that was submitted to MHRD more than six months ago."

"The PRC, that deals not only with pay revision, but with all aspects of teachers' service conditions, including permanent recruitment, promotions and pension, is expected to have made positive recommendations to address the grievances of teachers regarding contractualisation and adhocism of services, denial of promotions and pension," he added. However, in an unprecedented move, the government has refused to make the report public.

Apart from reiterating long standing demands including 100 per cent funding of Central and State Universities, teachers expressed their strong opposition to the attempts by the government to impose a blueprint of commercialisation under the scheme of so called "autonomous colleges" and "Graded Autonomy of Universities." "This would lead to a steep hike in fees and deprive most students from access to affordable, quality education," a Press statement said.

Rajya Sabha member D Raja, addressed the gathering and led a delegation of AIFUCTO and FEDCUTA office bearers to meet the Union HRD Minister Prakash Javedekar.