Dental college hopes CM will end dispute

Updated on: Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A dispute between lecturers-cum-doctors and the dean of the premier Government Dental College (GDC) has reached chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s office.

With the teachers alleging that the head of the institution was working towards creating an unfavourable work atmosphere, it is to be seen if Chavan’s intervention can stop the brain drain from one of the country’s best dental colleges.

The tussle, simmering for some time, got fiercer after the dean, Dr Mansingh Pawar, issued memos to all teachers for staying away from college for a day when interns struck work last February.

The memos were issued over nine months after the strike. Their absence, which teachers termed as ‘forced’ as the college gates were closed, was seen as ‘participation’ in the protest. Teachers also had to lose a day’s pay.

Pawar had demanded a written explanation from all the teachers as to why their services should not be terminated. While the 15-odd teachers who were permanent managed to retain their jobs, the temporary lecturers could not escape the management’s wrath. The dean refused to grant them permission to continue teaching in the college and four of them are looking out for jobs.

An aggrieved teacher from the college, Dr Vaishali Nemane, said her pleas to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) and Mantralaya fell on deaf ears. After serving the college for three years, when she wanted to go on maternity leave, she was told that her services were no longer required. “It is unfortunate that we are victimised because we are insistent on serving a reputed government institution,” she said.

“There are scores of vacancies. Most staff are in a legal battle to retain their jobs in the college,” she said.

The same is the case with lecturer Dr Akash Akinwar, whose services were terminated on February 3, for supporting the protesting students. “It is a clear case of conspiracy to drain dedicated young teachers from the institution. The college knows we never participated in the strike,” he said.

Another lecturer has joined a private hospital. Pawar said he did not want to comment on the issue except that he was awaiting word from the government on what needs to be done with the temporary lecturers.

Dental college hopes CM will end dispute

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