The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Two issues related to lecturers to be resolved each month

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Two issues related to lecturers to be resolved each month

Staff Reporter

Basavaraj Horatti to hold discussions with D.H. Shankaramurthy

Bangalore: Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti, said here on Tuesday that he and Minister for Higher Education D.H. Shankaramurthy had decided to jointly resolve issues faced by lecturers and other teachers.

He was speaking at a programme organised to discuss problems of lectures in colleges where the pre-university division has been separated from composite colleges.

It was organised by the Karnataka State Pre-university Education Officers, Principals, Lecturers and Non-Teaching Staff Federation.

Mr. Horatti said at least two issues would be discussed and resolved each month. "The decision was taken at a meeting this morning," he said.

Mr. Horatti said he and Mr. Shankaramurthy had been appealing to the Government not to separate the pre-university division from colleges.

"As many as 1,070 lecturers have been affected by the move. All issues and problems they face were discussed in the meeting. I assure lecturers that both the Education Ministers will take appropriate action and try to solve all problems," he said.

Mr. Horatti said that a lecturer's promotion was once withheld by the Revenue Department. But the Revenue Department had no say on promotions of officials and lecturers of the Education Department. "The Education Department should be the sole authority to decide whether an official or lecturer should be promoted," he said.

He decried the practice of students' relying on tuitions to do well in their examinations. "This is not right. Lecturers and other teachers should prepare students in such a way that they do not need any extra help," he said.

Mr. Shankaramurthy said it was decided at the meeting that lecturers in first grade colleges would get their salary from the Department of Collegiate Education, instead of the Pre-university (PU) Board. Lecturers who received salary according to UGC (University Grants Commission) scales and had been transferred to PU colleges, as a result of the separation of the PU division, would be posted to degree colleges. "It is the first time that a government has committed itself to solving problems faced by lecturers. The problems will be discussed at length at the Cabinet meeting on Friday," he said.

Salary

The Minister said the Government had been requested to disburse salary to lecturers and other teachers in the first week of every month. "I stand by the issues that I raised when I was Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council," he said.

Narahari, president of the federation, and Shashil Namoshi, Mari Thibbegowda and Balakrishna Bhat, MLCs, spoke

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