Karnataka primary and secondary education minister Kimmane Rathnakar’s delay in taking a decision favourable to PU college lecturers might affect students as the evaluation might be delayed.
The minister on Sunday announced that the government had allotted Rs 50 crore to address the wage disparity issues raise by PU lecturers, who are currently boycotting evaluation, reported the Times of India.
While the Sunday meeting was the fourth time the minister met the protesting teachers, the final call on the pay revision would be reportedly made on April 13, which is 10 days after the evaluation was supposed to commence.
The II PU results, which were to be announced before May 15, might be delayed by a week or more.
“The minister said if they revise our basic pay, 20 departments would ask for the same,” said Thimmaiah Purle, president of Karnataka State PU College Lecturers' Association.
However, Purle has said that spending Rs 50 crore would not suffice, reported TOI.
E Venkat Reddy, principal of Government PU College (Boys), Kolar district, said, “We will conduct the chemistry re-exam on April 12, and resume the strike the next day. We are aware that students might suffer, but our wage disparity has not been resolved for 20 years. The government might increase the basic pay by a meagre amount, but we won't agree to that.”
“The government should answer why the issues have not been resolved till now. Instead of holding students' future to ransom, the government and teachers must come to the table to end the deadlock and start valuation as early as possible,” said Srikante Gowda, president of the principals' association.