ATSUM to state govt, Intervene and resolve the deadlock on 7th UGC Pay

The All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) said that it was deeply concerned with the “apathetic conduct” of the state government of Manipur over the protracted demand of Federation of Government College Teachers’ Association Manipur (FEGOCTA) for implementation of 7th UGC Pay and Regulations 2018 which was approved by the state cabinet on August 6, 2020.

The apex tribal student body of Manipur said in a statement on Friday that the demand for implementation of 7th UGC Pay and Regulation 2018 began way back in December 2018 by teachers of Government Colleges of the state under the banner of FEGOCTA by resorting to various forms of agitation like class boycott, sit in protest etc. “This periodic and persistent agitation of teachers and the corresponding silent spectatorship response of the Education (U) department or the state government have caused nothing good to any party of them but caused great loss to the academic careers of the innocent college students for the past 2 years,” the ATSUM added.

It then reminded that the state government approved the implementation of the 7th UGC Pay and Regulation 2018 in its cabinet sitting on August 6, 2020. “However, after six (6) months of cabinet approval, the state government failed to deliver the implementation in reality, compelling the government college teachers under FEGOCTA to serve ultimatum and resume their suspended agitation from January 28, 2021 onwards with a thread of resorting to a sit-in-protest and boycott of academic activities in colleges,”  the ATSUM further said.

The tribal student body then said that, as the state government’s silence on demand of FEGOCTA remains adamant, the ongoing agitation of government college teachers have entered day 7 with sit-in-protest in most of the government colleges of the state. It added that this resumption of agitation with a threat of boycotting academic activities have impacted the sentiments/psychologies of the thousands of students as their academic life remains at stake  with semester exams nearing.

“It is a fact that teachers have substantially contributed in shaping the future of the state by investing their whole life in moulding human resource development of the state,” the ATSUM said, while adding, “And as the 7th UGC Pay and Regulation 2018 is a national policy enjoyed by government college teachers of other states and even by employees of Manipur state, implementation of the same will improve collegiate education of Manipur”.  

The tribal student body then said, “Considering the life of students whose academic careers are ultimately under threat due to the current impasse, it is pertinent that the state government immediately intervenes and resolves the deadlock by issuing an order for implementation of 7th UGC Pay and Regulation 2018 in government colleges”.