'Kageri is callous to teachers, must go'

Why do we need a minister who cant provide toilets in girls educational institutions: MLC

Addressing a teachers’ meeting at the Government Pre-university College in Chikkaballapur on Friday, Narayanaswamy said Kageri had failed to provide basic facilities to most schools. About 80 per cent of the government colleges in the State lack toilets.

About 30 per cent of the colleges do not have provision for drinking water. Most schools lack even proper classrooms. The number of teachers appointed does not suffice for the number of students in the schools.

Kageri had been indifferent to the problems faced by teachers and the education system, complained Narayanaswamy.

The MLC, who visited Bagepalli Girls’ Pre-university College earlier in the day, said he was saddened by the plight of the women teachers and students struggling due to lack of toilets in the College. “Why do we need a minister who is unable to provide a toilet at the least?” Narayanaswamy asked with anguish and anger.

Govt partiality

Pointing out what he described as another instance of the minister’s indifference, Narayanaswamy said lecturers in all pre-university colleges in the State are paid according the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scale, and the same scale has been extended to BEd education institutions that come under the universities as also private aided BEd colleges.

“Yet, the Chikkaballapur Government BEd College, the only such college in the entire State, has not been brought under the UGC. This is an act of bias on the part of the Government,” he accused.

He added that the matter would be brought to the notice of Higher Education Minister V S Acharya. The matter would be discussed in the next convention and it would be ensured that government BEd colleges too would come under the UGC pay scale, he assured.

Protest postponed

A meeting of the officers of the State Teachers’ Association had decided to organise an intense protest demanding that Kageri be transferred out of the Education Department. However, the recent instability in the Government has forced the Association to postpone the protest to December, he said.

The protest aimed at bringing to the notice of concerned authorities the problems faced by those in the education system, Narayanaswamy added.

The first phase of the protest would involve display of black bands. If the Chief Minister failed to respond, the protest would be taken up successively at the taluk level, district level and later as boycott of colleges. The protest would demand that teachers be provided justice, said the MLC.

Educationist Prof Shivarama Reddy, Prof Kodirangappa, High School Assistant Teachers’ Association president Channamallikarjuna, senior teacher K M Reddappa and others were present.