Teachers’ stir near total

NEW DELHI, August 11: Academic work in colleges and universities across the country was affected today when over four lakh teachers went on an indefinite strike demanding higher wages.

The stir, spearheaded by the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (AIFUCTO) demanding implementation of the recommended University Grants Commission (UGC) scales, was near-total, reports reaching here said. In Bihar, over 18,000 teachers from 11 varsities struck work to press for fulfilment of their demands while the Federation of University and College Teachers’ Associations in Karnataka claimed the strike was cent per cent.

Academic work was paralysed in Tamil Nadu where nearly 4,000 teachers stayed away from work.

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At Jalandhar, the teachers staged sit-ins and organised rallies condemning the Haryana government’s decision to invoke the Essential Services Act.The stir affected three lakh students in Gujarat where 12,000 teachers belonging to various faculties struck work.

No classeswere held in colleges and varsities all over West Bengal where more than 12,000 teachers went on an indefinite strike.