ITANAGAR, 4 Oct: The Arunachal Pradesh College Teachers’ Association (APCTA) staged dharnasacross the 17 government degree colleges in the state in support of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation’s long-pending demands which seek to strengthen India’s higher education system.
The key demands include granting of professorship in the colleges, reintroduction of the old pension system (OPS), an increase in the education budget allocation to 10%, restoration of the faculty development programme, etc.
Addressing the gathering at Government College Doimukh, APCTA general secretary Dr Tadam Ruti highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of the OPS, the National Pension System (NPS) and the Unified Pension System (UPS).
Dr Ruti said that “the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu have done tremendous work in infrastructure development, tirelessly supporting the poor and downtrodden and building a strong global image for India.”
“While we appreciate these development efforts, we feel that the service sector is being neglected by the government. Neither the NPS nor the UPS is employee-friendly. Therefore, we demand the reinstatement of the OPS for a dignified life in old age,” Dr Ruti said.
Emphasising the urgent need to address the issue of professorships, Dr Ruti said that the APCTA has already brought the matter before the authorities concerned in Arunachal.
“However, despite continuous follow-ups, the authorities have failed to respond positively,” he said,and urged both the central and state governments to take the issue seriously.
