Students protest teachers8217; strikes

BANGALORE, August 18: Perhaps for the first time in the recent past, students are strongly condemning the act of teachers to boycott clas...

BANGALORE, August 18: Perhaps for the first time in the recent past, students are strongly condemning the act of teachers to boycott classes to press for their demands. Expressions of criticism and a feeling of contempt is pervading the student community.

8220;The whole academic calendar has been affected by the strike. Not one class has been conducted from the past one week. How can this be allowed to continue?8221; asks a second year BA student of Kannada literature, who says she depends on classroom teaching in the absence of prescribed text books.The same opinion is shared by Nandeesh, a second year student of National College, Basavanagudi. 8220;Students, especially of literature, who depend on classes are seriously affected. The offer made by teachers that special classes would be conducted to make up for the lost time will only burden us at the end of the academic year and we will be crammed with classes. This will not leave us with any time for self-study,8221; he adds. A section of students pass sarcasticcomments about the strike. 8220;I think they are preparing in advance for the Ganesha festival. Some of them have also left for their home towns. It is only a means for them to holiday. They are neither attending colleges nor are they holding demonstrations. What are they doing apart from sitting at home?8221; asks Yashodhar.

He is joined in his criticism by Suhasini, a second year commerce student of Maharanis college of Arts and Science. 8220;How selfish can teachers be? They get such fat salaries. First of all, they don8217;t handle classes and spend most of the time in the college canteen. Now, they are on a strike demanding higher pays. I really can8217;t understand this,8221; she adds.

The offer of the Federation of University and College Teachers Association of Karnataka to hold talks with students has also not helped matters. 8220;If they present their problems before us and discuss the strategy to be adopted to get their demands implemented without disturbing classes, we can support them. If they launch agitations anddisturb the smooth functioning of colleges, then we cannot support them,8221; feels a student of NMKRV college for women.

However, teachers are confident that striking work and launching an agitation is the best possible means to ensure that the government considers their demands. 8220;We have no other alternative. We have been continuously presenting our demands to the government without any success. So, the best decision was to boycott classes. At least now, with the present situation, the Centre is forced to take our demands into cognisance,8221; said a lecturer of a reputed city-based college. A professor also criticised the Centre for not inviting the striking teachers for talks. 8220;The government should have initiated talks with us. It is very surprising that the Centre is mum on the issue despite classes being affected,8221; he added.