Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Block criteria colleges demand implementation of 1994 GIA policy


BHUBANESWAR: Teachers of the All Odisha Block Criteria College Association on Tuesday held a demonstration in front of the State Assembly protesting the defective 2008 policy of the Higher Education Department that has deprived 305 +2 colleges and 137 +3 colleges from receiving grant-in-aid (GIA) in accordance with the Grant-in-Aid Order, 1994.

Hundreds of teachers of all the Block Criteria Colleges of the State came in a procession from Master Canteen to Lower PMG protesting the defective 2008 policy. All the block criteria colleges were closed completely and the teaching and non-teaching staff of all such colleges joined in the demonstration.

They said the policy was framed by the Biju Patnaik-led Government in 1994, under which two Plus II colleges, a Plus III and a women college in a block are eligible to get the GIA. However, the Congress Government did not implement the policy. In 2009, the BJD Government framed the grant-in-aid policy, 2008 for 662 unaided colleges under which all colleges were given 40 per cent block grant. The policy included the senior colleges which came under the eligibility criteria of the GIA-1994.

The teachers lamented that had they been given grant under the GIA-1994, they would be getting regular pay now. But the Government indiscriminately provided block grant to all colleges. Association president Aswini Meher, general secretary Chandradhwaj Nanda and other frontline leaders like Srikant Samant, Prafulla Das and Deepak Moharana took the lead of the demonstration.

No comments:

Post a Comment