Teachers8217; stir affects classes

VADODARA, Aug 17: Though the MSU academic session began from June 15, classes are yet to be held at the Faculty of Commerce. But this tim...

VADODARA, Aug 17: Though the MSU academic session began from June 15, classes are yet to be held at the Faculty of Commerce. But this time, the students are not responsible for the delay, but the teachers, who have struck work from the past one week to press their pending demands for a pay-hike as per the guidelines of the University Grants Commission.

Before all teaching work came to a standstill at the MSU, classes had already begun at the Faculty of Science, admissions at the Faculty of Arts was still to be completed and the students did not allow classes to be conducted at the Faculty of Commerce.

With the teaching staff of all the faculties, barring the Faculty of Management, Technology and Polytechnic, being on strike, it is only the library where the students think the purpose of coming to the university is served.

The teachers admit that the academic schedule has to be revised now and the dates fixed earlier for conducting examinations as well as those for completion of syllabus need to be revised. Officer on Special Duty for examinations L J Parekh also confirmed it.

Meanwhile, admission procedures of certain faculties, like that for the M A previous of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, are still to be completed. The entrance examinations for admissions which were postponed still remain to be conducted. But the teachers here maintain that there would not be a delay in the session as they would conduct extra classes after the strike was called off.

8220;It is difficult to say when the strike will be called off,8221; said General secretary of the Baroda University Teachers Association, Nikhil Desai, adding that the teachers would continue to be on strike until their demands were accepted.

He, however, refused to admit that classes were being affected due to the strike and claimed that the number of days lost would be made up by conducting extra classes later. According to him, going on an indefinite strike was the only alternative that the teachers had at hand to put forward their demands.