PU teachers withdraw boycott

Lecturers will resume evaluation of answer papers today

Lecturers have given up the boycott of the II PUC answer paper evaluation “unconditionally” on Monday after a four-day strike. They announced that they would resume the valuation process on Tuesday.

The lecturers’ decision came after a core committee meeting of various PU lecturers’ associations.

The PU lecturers’ association leaders have asked their colleagues to be present at the valuation centres on time on Tuesday. Not all outstation lecturers could make it to the valuation centres at such short notice. Such lecturers would report on Wednesday, they added.

Karnataka State PU College Principals’ Association president K T Srikante Gowda said the strike was called off “considering the concerns of both parents and students.”

Shakeel Ahmed, general secretary of Karnataka State PU College Lecturers’ Association said many parents had been approaching them asking them to call off the strike, keeping in mind the future of lakhs of students who had appeared for the II PU exam this year.

Earlier in the day, Primary and Secondary EducationâMinister Visveshwara Hegde Kageri held talks with representatives of Karnataka State Pre-University College Lecturers’ Association and appealed to the agitating lecturers to withdraw their boycott of evaluation of examination answer scripts. “The government has an open mind to your demands. The chief minister will hold detailed discussion with you on all issues on April 19. Please withdraw the strike and take up evaluation work immediately in the interests of students”, Kageri said, after the two-hour meeting with association representatives.

Legislative Council members, cutting across party lines and representing various teachers and graduates constituencies, were also present. Kageri said the chief minister had asserted that all demands made by the lecturers would be given adequate consideration.
Veteran freedom fighter H S Doreswamy said the representatives of pre-university lecturers’ associations had spoken to Kageri and had requested him to consider their demands. Kageri had to take positive action in this regard including consideration of the Kumar Naik committee report recommendations, Doreswamy said.

Even as the lecturers went on strike at Freedom Park, a section of them went ahead with the valuation on Monday. Pre-university Department commissioner Rashmi V Mahesh said except for eight centres, valuation took place in all other centres across the State.

The lecturers, who cited the example of their agitation last year in a similar turn of events, were confident that the valuation would be completed on time and the students would not have to face any delay in securing results.