Students of government colleges on Friday demonstrated on the street against the non-conduct of their classes owing to the cease work strike of the teachers.
Classes in government colleges in the state remained suspended since February 17 after the striking teachers have boycotted classes as they resorted to cease work strike demanding implementation of 7th UGC Pay and Regulations 2018.
When no class was conducted for the consecutive day on Friday, students of DM College of Sciences and DM College of Arts came out on the street and carried out a protest rally demanding immediate resumption of classes. They were stopped from carrying out the rally by the police when the students tried to march towards the state Assembly complex where the budget session was in progress. The police calmed down the students by convincing them to return to their respective colleges.
Meanwhile, the cease work strike of the striking college teachers entered its second day on Friday. The cease work strike which started from February 18 included boycott of classes which started from the previous day, academic and administrative activities by the teachers. It will continue until the orders of 7th UGC Pay and Regulations, 2018 are issued, Federation of Government College Teachers’ Association (FEGOCTA) reaffirmed today, in a sit-in-protest cum meeting held at DM College of Sciences campus.
“Such extreme step was taken after FEGOCTA did not receive any positive response from the government even after 16th days of sit in protests,” a statement of the FEGOCTA asserted. The Government has failed to honour three written assurances given to FEGOCTA in 2019, the statement alleged.
The 5th agitation by FEGOCTA was started as the government continue the triple discrimination of government college teachers – no complete salary for nine years and 7th pay had already been granted to other employees of Manipur government and college teachers in other states of India, it added.
“It is unfortunate that even after six months of cabinet approval (on August 6, 2020), no order has been issued,” the statement said.
The FEGOCTA asked where is the prestige and honour of the Cabinet headed by the chief minister while reiterating its appeal to the chief minister once again to intervene and issue the orders of national policy of UGC at the earliest.
“Now restoring normal academic life in the government colleges is completely at the hands of the government,”, it added.
NNN
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