Amritsar, December 19
Members of the Non-Government Aided Colleges’ Management Federation (NGACMF) on Sunday protested against a recent notification of the state government regarding proposed fixing of retirement age of aided colleges’ teachers at 58 years.
The federation, along with the teachers and principals’ association, would jointly fight for the rights of the teachers of aided colleges, said NGACMF president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina.
They said they would wage a war against the government for the draconian decision and constituted a joint action committee (JAC) to chalk out the next course of action. The federation also demanded from the government to roll back its arbitrary centralised admission portal being imposed on the aided colleges.
“We will soon shoot off a letter to the Secretary, Higher Education, to get clarity regarding the retirement age of the teachers and their salary grants. As the government is issuing misleading and vague verbal orders on the issue, we have been left with no option but to chalk out a major agitation which might include strikes and closure of institutions of higher learning in the days to come,” said Chhina.
On the speaking orders issued by the Department of Higher Education regarding implementation of a centralised admission portal for aided colleges from the next academic session members of the JAC announced that the orders would be opposed tooth and nail. The proposal is faulty and arbitrary and the JAC would be meeting at Jalandhar on December 24 to plan the next course of action on the issue, said the members of the JAC.
They also drew the attention of the government to the Supreme Court with respect to SLP No. 16813 of 2022 vide which it had been ruled by the apex court that the state is liable to pay leave encashment with respect to the un-availed leave to the credit of an employee since it is a component of salary.
