BENGALURU: The academic schedule and exam results of Bangalore University are likely to take a blow as lecturers continued their indefinite strike on the second day at the evaluation camp on the Bengaluru Central University (Central College) campus. Hundreds of lecturers protested on the campus till evening on Wednesday as more associations and citizens concerned joined them.
Protesters said that the strike will continue till their grievances are addressed by the state government. A detailed list of demands was handed over to BU Registrar (Evaluation) Prof. C. Shivaraju on Tuesday. Dr H. Prakash, president of the Karnataka Government College Teachers’ Association, said that the orders by the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE), asking government degree college lecturers to pay back the Dearness Allowance (DA) for 2006 till 2009 are totally against the University Grants Commission (UGC) directives on the revised 6th Pay Commission.
“The higher education department officials have failed miserably to understand the UGC guidelines and are adamant not to admit it or even to consider the plight of the lecturers. In accordance to the DCE order, each lecturer is asked to pay back an average of Rs 2.5 lakh, which is impractical,” he said.
Another lecturer, who requested anonymity, blamed the inefficiency of the ministry to handle and assess the right way out of such situations. “Basavaraj Rayareddy and his associates have neither done their homework nor are interested to run the department smoothly.
Instead of running the department for the welfare of all, they have succeeded only in adding to the burden of all stakeholders – now affecting government and private-aided first grade college lecturers as well,” he said.
To overcome the constant crisis of delays and errors in the evaluation process, the BU had decided to depute 4,000 lecturers in different phases for the evaluation of odd-semester exams held in November-December. About 22 lakh answer scripts of nearly 3.5 lakh students from various undergraduate courses affiliated to the varsity are affected because of the protests.
According to university sources, the delay will affect the academic calendar. “We were planning to complete the valuation and publish results by the first week of January and reopen colleges for the even semester on January 10,” he said.
The higher education department has invited the protesters for a meeting on Thursday at the office of the Principal Secretary, with the hope of resolving the issue.
