Unaided college teachers submit memo to minister

Sahnewal, October 17

A delegation of the Association of Unaided College Teachers (AUCT) met Bharat Bhushan Aashu, Cabinet Minister, Food Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Punjab, and Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, Punjab, and presented to both of them a memorandum, demanding that unaided college teachers should be re-included in the Punjab Affiliated Colleges Security of Service Act, 1974.

Prof Praneet Kaur, president, and Prof Harjit Singh, general secretary, respectively, of the AUCT, said with an amendment to this Act in 2007, college teachers working on unaided posts were excluded from the security of the law and left to the mercy of their respective managements.

Consequently, around 4,000 unaided college teachers, contributing in enhancing the standards of higher education in the state, have lost their access to the DPI of the state, in case of any irregularity they face in their services.

Prof Tarun Ghai, member, governing body of the AUCT, said private managements, at present, were taking decisions in an autocratic manner and teachers had no place to go for justice.

He said the delegation had been assured of a sincere attention to the demand. The association was determined to have a recourse to a legal remedy if needed, he asserted. — OC