Hundreds of teachers in government-aided private colleges across Punjab and Chandigarh will boycott university semester examinations Dec 15 and 19, a teachers' union leader said Thursday.
"Waiting for over one-and-half years for the release of the 95 percent grant-in-aid to the colleges of Punjab, the associations of principals, teachers and non-teaching employees of these colleges have decided to boycott the university semester examinations on Dec 15 and 19 across universities from the region, including Panjab University, Amritsar's Guru Nanak Dev University and Patiala's Punjabi University," Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) vice president Jagwant Singh said.
The staff of the seven aided colleges of Chandigarh would also join the boycott, he said.
"The faculty and staff in Punjab's aided colleges have not been paid their salaries for the last 18 months," he said.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of principals, teachers and non-teaching employees of aided colleges took the decision to boycott the examinations, he said.
"The staff members had hoped that the Punjab government would clear their dues by Diwali but they were in for a shock as the government's assurances were in vain. Many colleges have, meanwhile, run out of funds, and basic student support services are also facing closure due to funds crunch.
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"The staff and the colleges have borrowed heavily to meet their essential expenses but now they have run out of all options," he said.
"We have taken this painful decision after exercising utmost restraint, but now with the staff facing extreme hardship and colleges on the verge of imminent closure, we have to intensify our struggle," he said.
Urging Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to intervene in the interest of all stakeholders, the leader said: "This should be done especially for the over two lakh students whose exams would be reduced to a farce in the absence of the principals, teachers and non-teaching staff."