Assam college teachers halt classes in statewide pen-down strike

Teachers at provincialised colleges across Assam stayed away from classes on Friday, October 30, as the Assam College Teachers' Association (ACTA) observed a statewide pen-down strike over a long list of pending service and pay demands.

Instead of teaching, faculty members were to hold peaceful sit-in demonstrations on their own campuses, according to the association's call.

Why teachers are protesting

In a press statement, ACTA president Dr Bipul Chakrabarty and general secretary Dr Parag Jyoti Mahanta blamed prolonged administrative delays, unresolved policy questions and what they described as the state government's failure to honour its financial commitments to college teachers.

The association argues that University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines have not been properly implemented in Assam's provincialised colleges. It says this has hurt teachers' promotion prospects, their professional dignity and morale, and the wider academic atmosphere on campuses.

The main demands

ACTA has placed the following before the government:

• Pension: scrap the National Pension System (NPS) and bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS)
• OM 2013 portal: reopen it so that pending service-related cases can be settled
• Seniority: count previous service towards seniority and promotion, in line with UGC norms
• CAS promotions: grant Career Advancement Scheme promotions, and the financial benefits that come with them, from the date each teacher became eligible
• Fixed-pay teachers: regularise them without delay
• Arrears: release pending UGC-scale arrears and the additional increments withheld for MPhil and PhD holders
• Retirement age: raise it to 65 years, as per UGC norms
• Other service matters: frame comprehensive leave rules, simplify mutual transfers and remove administrative hurdles in the promotion process
• Vacancies: fill vacant teaching posts so that colleges meet the prescribed student-teacher ratio and existing faculty are not overloaded

What it means for students

The strike call covers all provincialised colleges in the state, meaning academic activities on those campuses were suspended for the day. ACTA has acknowledged that the agitation could temporarily affect academic work, but said the protest had become a last resort.

The association has appealed to its members across the state to stay united and make the programme a success, and has urged the state government to step in immediately. It warned that further delay could damage higher education in the state.

Earlier this month, on October 11, ACTA held a joint executive meeting at its headquarters in Guwahati with the teachers' pending demands and a future plan of action on the agenda.

Government response awaited

There was no immediate public response from the Assam government or the Higher Education Department to the strike call at the time of publishing. ACTA has not yet announced what it will do next if its demands are not addressed.