Govt college teachers demand new university

Updated on: Sunday, August 22, 2010

Teachers of 35 government colleges have intensified their demand to be brought under a new state university after Presidency College was elevated to the status of a full-fledged university.

On Friday, they held a demonstration at College Square and later presented a charter of demands to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, including a road map for the new university.

The Government College Teachers’ Association wants it to be named ‘University of Bengal’ with a common syllabus and common exam system for all colleges under it. The road map says that the new university will follow a semester system, have grade and credit points and will have the facility of credit transfer.

“This will be an affiliating university as opposed to the unitary university concept of Presidency,” said Debashish Sarkar, association general secretary.

These 35 colleges teach 43 subjects and have 70 departments for postgraduate courses. The road map wants the number of subjects to be increased and PG introduced in many more colleges.

The association is still opposed to the Presidency University Act and pressed for a repeal on Friday. “If the government goes ahead with it, we will be left with one less government college in Kolkata. So the state should immediately open a new government college in the city. We also want to know what will happen to the 224 teaching posts at Presidency,” Sarkar said.

The association reminded the CM that 40% teaching and non-teaching posts are lying vacant in government colleges. (TNN)

Govt college teachers demand new university

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