AMUCT (Association of Mangalore University College Teachers) in response to the call given by All India Federation of College and University Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) will be observing September 5 (Teachers’ Day) as Demands’ Day.

According to a press release, the whole teaching fraternity is upset over a series of factors like the unfair treatment being meted out to the teachers from primary to the university level, the failure of the UPA government at the Centre and the State governments to increase funding for public-funded education sector, endless privatisation and commercialisation of education at all levels and the imposition of foreign education providers and the private investors in education through the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission headed by Sam Pitroda, without any democratic discussion inside and outside the Parliament.

In the release, Amuct and FUCTAK (Federation of University College Teachers’ Associations in Karnataka) denounced the failure of the Ministry of Human Resources Development and the UGC to constitute Pay-Review Committees for teachers in all streams.

AIFUCTO will express their resentment through public protest demonstrations on the university campuses, state/taluk headquarters on the Teachers’ Day and also observe the same day as Demands Day.

Colleges of Mangalore University area will also observe the day in their respective campuses or a common venue, as per Amuct directions.

The teachers of Mangalore will assemble after classes at 4 pm near the Office of the Joint Director of Collegiate Education in the Mangalore University College campus.

The affiliates of All India Federation of College and University Teachers’ Organisations would submit memorandum to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the Union Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh through the Governors, Vice-Chancellors and Collectors to demand a Pay-Review Committee, uniform pay scales and service conditions including the age of retirement at 65 years for all teachers including DPEs and librarians, accompanists, tabla players, tutors and other academic staff.

Demands

Decrying the failure of all the governments to raise the GDP allocation for education to 6 per cent and All India Federation of College and University Teachers’ Organisations demanded concrete steps to implement the fundamental right to education for all children upto the age of 14 years through Common School System.

It also regretted that lakhs of posts in schools and thousands in Universities and Colleges are lying either vacant or abolished by the anti-education governments.

It demanded that National Commission for Education, on the pattern of Dr Kothari Commission (1964-66) should be immediately constituted to evolve a comprehensive National Policy of Education. It also demanded that the National Knowledge Commission should be scrapped.