7 teachers at OU, JNTU die of COVID, work from home still not an option

Hyderabad: After the death of at least seven teachers from JNTU-H and Osmania University in the past one week due to the Coronavirus, the Telangana Schools Technical Colleges Employees Association (TSTCEA) has written to the registrars and VCs of both the institutions to demanding that teachers be allowed to work from home.

"Faculty members working in the colleges and Autonomous College, especially those within the University, are not being given holidays or work from home facilities, and so they come to the college every day. In this situation, many people come to the college using various modes of transport, risking their life", said a petition submitted by the teachers' union.

They also demanded that faculty members should be paid full salaries while working from home, and that no cuts should be made. "Teachers have been living on meager salaries for a long time, but in the event of such an unforeseen event, there should not be an added expense for healthcare at hospitals", the petition added.

They also demanded the authorities to give health cards to all the teachers, to provide group insurance for everyone and to provide ESI facilities to those eligible.