HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Federation of University Teachers’ Association has decided to boycott preparatory work for all entrance tests, if government fails to address their demands by February 15.
The demands of teachers include payment of arrears, increasing the superannuation age, recruitment to vacant posts and enhancement of block grants to universities. Speaking to newsmen here on Sunday, APFUTA president Battu Satyanarayana said that according to revised salaries of university teachers, the state government has to pay arrears between January 2006 and December 2009.
Though the government had issued a GO regarding crediting of arrears to PF accounts of respective teachers, they have not kept the promise, he added.
He further said following the decision by Human Resource Development ministry to increase the superannuation age from 60 to 65 years for university teachers in the country, all central universities and few states like Madhya Pradesha and Bihar had implemented the decision.
“But the state government is still to taken a decision,” Satyanarayana said.
The other demand of the teachers' association is recruitment to 45 per cent vacant posts in varsities like Osmania, Andhra, Kakatiya, Acharya Nagarjuna, Sri Krishnadevaraya and Sri Venkateshwara.
“The number of sanctioned posts in these universities are 3,570 out of which 1,600 are vacant.
The government should take up recruitment to these posts immediately,” he said.
The APFUTA president also alleged that newly setup universities lack minimum faculty strength in all departments.
While the expenditure in all varsities had risen from `684 crore in 2010-11 to `730 crore in 2011-12, the government had further decreased budget allocation to universities.
“The government had released `515 crore in 2010-11, which was decreased to `384 crore during 2011-12.
We demand allocation of appropriate funds for development of universities,” Satyanarayana said. If government fail to address these issues by February 15, the APFUTA will stage dharnas at all university campuses. The teachers will also take out rallies on February 22 in the premises and will launch relay hunger strikes between February 27 and March 3.
The teachers’ association also threatened to boycott preparatory work for all forthcoming common entrance tests including Eamcet. APFUTA general secretary SV Rajasekhara Reddy, Dr BR Ambedkar Open University Teachers’ Association president Ghanta Chakrapani, Osmania University Teachers Association general secretary Prof Nirmalababu Rao and others were present.