Friday, March 29, 2024

Campus Buzz

PFUCTO supports 'work from home' demand of PCCTU

PUNJAB NEWS EXPRESS | May 08, 2021 02:43 PM

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (PFUCTO) has supported the ‘work from home’ demand of the PCCTU.

In a joint statement, Dr H. S. Kingra, President and Dr Jagwant Singh, general secretary of the PFUCTO said that the demand is fully in tune with the Ministry of Home Affairs Guidelines. The MHA guidelines state that, ‘as far as possible the practice of work from home should be followed.’ As the entire teaching is being conducted online, the guidelines of the Punjab govt. and the Chandigarh Administration requiring the presence of teachers in colleges violate the MHA guidelines. Both the administrations should endorse the MHA guidelines without any changes.

There is no point in asking teachers to come to colleges for online teaching only. This unnecessarily exposes them to the disease as they are bound to share common rooms and other facilities. Also, many teachers use public transport or have to travel together. On falling victim to the dreaded disease there is no provision for any medical aid or reimbursement of hospital expenses for such teachers of govt. aided colleges and their dear ones. They have to depend on their own meager resources. Moreover, large numbers of unaided colleges have not paid salary for months, and this includes some SGPC colleges as well.

Even the fresh set of guidelines issued on 7.5.21 by the Chandigarh Administration offer little respite as they continue to require the presence of 50% of the teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges even when the educational institutions are otherwise closed. Leaving any other relaxation to the heads of the institutions on a case to case basis would only give fillip to favoritism and arbitrariness. The demand of ‘work from home’ should be immediately conceded to as it is completely justified in the light of the rapidly deteriorating covid 19 scenario and the MHA guidelines dated 29.4.2021, and both Punjab and Chandigarh should follow the same.

Have something to say? Post your comment