Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Apr 12: At the intervention of state Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa, the lecturers entrusted with the task of valuation of the recently-concluded pre university examination answer sheets, have withdrawn their agitation. They will resume valuation work of these sheets from Tuesday April 12 onwards.
The Chief Minister, in the meantime, has ordered for the reconstitution of a committee under the chairmanship of the education department secretary to examine all issues concerning wage disparity. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a month. The lecturers, expressing happiness at this move, have agreed to take up answer sheets valuation work from today.
Working president of Karnataka PU College Lecturers Association, S H Prakash, said that the agitation has been withdrawn in view of the fact that the Chief Minister has expressed sympathy towards the problems faced by the lecturers, and reconstituted the committee. He said that lecturers will resume valuation work in all the 41 centres across the state.
In the said committee, director of the education department will be the member, and joint director will be the member secretary. The committee will take up issues like disparity of wages of PU lecturers, notional increment for lecturers hired on contract basis, giving weightage to service period in the capacity of part time lecturer while calculating retirement benefits, and giving special promotions to the lecturers who have completed MPhil and PhD degrees. The committee has been asked to discuss the issues with organizations representing lecturers and also the subject experts, and recommend suitable corrective measures to the government. The committee also will have to gather information about the pay structure of PU lecturers prevailing in other states.
It may be recalled that the PU lecturers have been demanding pay scale that is comparable wih those of the degree college lecturers. The organizations of lecturers have promised to the government to complete valuation work within the time schedule.