Shillong, January 10 (MExN): The North-Eastern Hill University Teachers' Association (NEHUTA) has supported and stands in solidarity with Federation of Central Universities Teachers' Associations (FEDCUTA) for lending full support to the strike call given by the All India Trade Unions (AITU) for their various genuine and legitimate demands.
A press release from President NEHUTA, Dr X.P Mao Professor and HoD, Department of Philosophy, NEHU stated that the association endorses the demands laid down by the trade unions including those of minimum wages with indexation, guaranteed enhanced pension, replacing NPS with old Pension Scheme(GPF), no to disinvestment, stopping contractualisation, speedy regularisation/absorption of employees, proper implementation of Reservation Policy for SC/ST/OBC/PWD, equal pay for equal work, maternity leave and other enabling measures etc.
The release mentioned that the FEDCUTA has been relentlessly struggling against the escalating assault on Higher Education through policy measures imposed by the Central Government on the dictats of the WTO-GATS, such as Graded Autonomy, Autonomous Colleges, HEFA, Tripartite MOU, Institutions of Eminence Scheme that promote commercialisation and privatisation of Higher Education etc.
By replacing Grants by Loans from Private Agencies, NEHUTA argued that the government was forcing public-funded universities into a self-financing model. This placed them at the mercy of market forces thus abdicating its responsibility towards providing affordable, quality education to all citizens, it added.
NEHUTA further claimed that in the last few years, the government has increasingly sought to reduce funding to Universities by cutting research and infrastructure grants and denying regular appointments which are replaced by exploitative contractual appointments, promotions and pension, leading to unprecedented hardship faced by the teaching community.
Academic content is sought to be diluted by taking away the autonomy of Universities to frame courses and design examination schemes. The functioning of Statutory Bodies is subverted by autocratic Vice Chancellors who display complete contempt for statutory and academic norms.
Academic freedom and dissent is sought to be crushed through the imposition of CCS and ESMA, and arbitrary punitive action against teachers and students for expressing their views on public fora.
Access to marginalised sections has been further reduced by diluting the Reservation Policy through a change of roster. Despite repeated assurances, the Central Government has failed to bring an Ordinance/Bill to correct the dilution and fulfill the Constitutional mandate of 15%, 7.5% and 27% reservation for SC, ST, OBC in teaching posts. Further measures such as minimum marks in qualifying entrance exams and insistence on NET for Rajiv Gandhi research fellowships for SC/ST have adversely affected students from marginalised sections, it added. Universities such as JNU have been allowed to drastically reduce the number of seats for students and violate the Reservation Policy with impunity.
The FEDCUTA, AIFUCTO, Retired Teachers Associations, School Teachers Federations, University Non-Teaching Employees Federation, All India Forum for Right to Education, All India Save Education Committee and several Students Organisations have forged a Joint Forum for Movement on Education. It has called for a massive Citizens Rally on February 19 in Delhi to highlight the crisis in public-funded education, with the slogan "Save Campus, Save Education, Save Nation."
