DIPHU, Aug 4 - Showing solidarity with the protest launched by the All India Federation of University & Colleges Teachers� Organization (AIFUCTO), against the draft bill of Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Act, 2018, the teachers� association of Assam University Diphu Campus Teachers (AUDCTA) also took out a protest rally here on Friday at its campus at AUDC, Lumding road.
The rally started from the library building and proceeded towards the Semson Sing Ingti administrative buildings. Subsequently, a memorandum was submitted to the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Sivasis Biswas. It was handed over by Dr Vulli Dhanaraju, general secretary, AUDCTA.
The association through the memorandum demanded immediate withdrawal of Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), Act, 2018. The teachers association demanded cent per cent Central assistance to the states for simultaneous, uniform implementation of the 7th UGC pay scales across the country, uniform pay scale and service conditions for ad hoc, part time, contractual, guest teachers, rejection of NPS and implementation of Old Pension Scheme for all the teachers, withdrawal of HEFA, HEERA and Graded Autonomy. The AUDCTA strongly condemned the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), Act, 2018 and urged upon the government to scrap the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), Act, 2018.
Besides, they demanded parity of pay scales and service conditions for DEP with teachers, permanent appointment against all the vacant posts in universities and colleges, initiation of dialogue and discussion with all stakeholders for education policy and to maintain the democratic, secular and public funded higher education system in India and to stop privatisation, commercialisation, corporatisation of education etc.
While talking to media persons, Dr Vulli Dhanaraju, general secretary AUDCTA said that the Government of India is coming up with the new Act of Higher Education called Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), Act, 2018, in order to rule higher education in the country. The Act is clearly discriminatory towards various institutions of the country. At present, there are 786 universities in India which will be going under the control of this Act, which means the Government of India is directly interfering with the autonomy of higher education and universities in the country. This problem is not only for the teachers but for higher education, since 35 million students are pursuing higher education in the country, Dr Dhanaraju added.
He added that the total fund allocation in the budget earlier for education was 5.7 per cent but in the regime of BJP government it has gone down to 3.67 per cent.
Dr Vulli Dhanaraju also said, �We are showing solidarity to the agitation of AIFUCTO which is organising a mass dharna at Delhi in front of the Parliament on Monday. The higher education system may face many problems soon after the bill is passed. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been working as per norms of in the country, he stated.
