Thousands of teachers from State and Central Universities across the country will start collecting in the capital over the next few days to demand an end to the onslaught against public-funded Higher Education and the rapid deterioration of teachers’ service conditions. Two major action programmes are on the agenda:
AIFUCTO-FEDCUTA
Jail Bharo Andolan, 24 November
Thousands of teachers will gather on 24 November at Parliament Street to participate in a Jail Bharo Andolan at the call of the AIFUCTO and FEDCUTA to protest against the deteriorating service conditions of teachers, ill-devised restructuring of Higher Education, promotion of rampant privatisation and the drive exhibited by the Government to commit the Higher Education sector to for-profit trade under WTO-GATS. The main demands on which teachers are agitating are the following:
1. Immediate constitution of the UGC VII Pay Review Committee.
2. Resolution of the long-pending anomalies and the long overdue implementation of stepping-up following the previous Pay Revision.
3. Scrapping of the anti-academic PBAS (Point Based Appraisal System) based on API (Academic Performance Indicators).
4. Filling of the lakhs of vacant posts as per the GoI Reservation Policy for SC/ST/OBC/PWD and end to contractualisation of teaching posts.
5. Expedite long overdue promotions and resolve all issues holding them up.
6. Resolve CPF-GPF issue and grant pension to all appointed before 1.1.1986 as per the then GoI Policy. Release the held up pensions of thousands of teachers. Withdraw the New Pension Scheme-2004 and ensure regular pension to all.
7. Resolve immediately the PhD-NET issue for appointments to teaching posts.
8. Grant UGC pay scales to all categories of teachers, librarians, DPEs & other academic staff.
9. Withdrawal of CBCS and the Central Universities Bill, 2013, both aimed at promoting privatisation and destroying public-funded higher education.
10. Restore and enhance the non-NET fellowships for research scholars and extend the scheme to research scholars of State universities.
11. End commercialisation and withdraw the offer made to WTO in 2005 to open Higher education as a commercial, tradable service under GATS.
NATIONAL PLATFORM IN DEFENCE OF EDUCATION (NPDE) | [email protected]
Mass Rally to Parliament, 26 November
At the call of the National Platform in Defence of Education, over 10,000 people will participate in a Mass Rally to the Parliament on 26 November to demand that Education be kept out of WTO/GATS. The participants will include teachers of the State and Central universities and colleges, student organisations, school teachers, university employees, other organisations working in the field of education, women’s and youth organisations and concerned citizens from all walks of life. Thousands of participants are coming from different parts of the country specifically for this Rally.
The Rally is being held during the Winter Parliament session since the Ministerial Meeting of the WTO/GATS is scheduled to be held next month, from 15 to 18 December in Nairobi. The Rally will raise the specific demand to withdraw the offer made to WTO in 2005 to open market access to Higher education under WTO/GATS. The National Platform is petitioning Members of Parliament of all political parties to make this into an issue and pressurise the Government to withdraw its offer.
The Rally will further demand the rollback of the policies of commercialising Education, that the budget for Education be increased to 6% – as against the recent drastic slashing of the Education budget –, and that the Government commit to keeping Education out of all trade in services negotiations.
See Attachments.
ASOK BARMAN NANDITA NARAIN
(General Secretary, AIFUCTO) (President, FEDCUTA)
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