By IANS,
Bhopal : Normal functioning in most colleges and universities in Madhya Pradesh came to a standstill Tuesday as more teachers’ bodies joined an ongoing strike by professors demanding a revised pay package.
Professors in Madhya Pradesh had started an indefinite strike from Sep 5 on Teachers Day demanding a revised University Grants Commission (UGC) pay package.
The college teachers also did not participate in any of the functions organised for them on Teachers Day.
The joint front of government college teachers and the Shasakiya Mahavidyalayin Shikshak Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti said the teachers began their indefinite strike after the state government failed to keep its promise of implementing the revised pay scale from Sep 4.
According to the teachers, Madhya Pradesh Education Minister Archana Chitnis had assured them after a state level rally Aug 22 that all action for implementation of the revised scales would be completed by Sep 4.
While the call for the indefinite strike from Sep 5 was initially given by Madhya Pradesh University Teachers Association and the Barkatullah (Bhopal) University Teachers’ Association (BUTA), various teachers’ federations like Madhya Pradesh Government College Teachers’ Federation, Government College Teachers’ Joint Struggle Committee and other units too joined the indefinite strike from Tuesday.
The Madhya Pradesh University Non-Teaching Employees Federation has also started a phased stir from Tuesday and threatened to go on strike from Sep 14 if their demand for the revised UGC package was not fulfilled by then.
The administration at Rani Durgawati University Jabalpur and Barkatullah University have postponed the ongoing exams due to the strike by the teaching and non-teaching staff.
“The functioning at 320 out of the total 350 colleges of the state has been paralyzed due to the strike and 7,500 teachers, including 600 from the state capital, have joined the stir,” H.S. Yadav, president of BUTA said.
“This is a historic strike and it has received almost 99 percent success from day one,” Yadav added.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Adhyapak Sangh (association of state run school teachers) has also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demands were not met within a week’s time.