PUNE: Students and parents have come forward in support of teachers of Sinhagad Technical Education Society (STES). Around 2,000 students from various institutes of Sinhagad carried out a rally on Friday.
It has been almost a month since the teachers have been standing stern on their demands but the management has failed to act in their favour.
A student of second year mechanical engineering at Sinhagad College of Engineering (SCOE) said, “We learnt about our teachers’ plight and on humanitarian grounds, all the students decided to extend our support to them. Our teachers never intended to damage our studies, but have always supported us in every way so that we can do good in academics. Now, they have had to resort to protest to fight for their rights and it is incorrect that they are not paid properly. After all, everyone works to earn money for their families.”
The students had also gone to meet the principals and sought answers to the issues and left with the reply that the management will take care of it.
Due to non-cooperation movement and as a mark of agitation, the 5,000 teachers, who have not received salary of 15 months, have declared that they will not conduct any classes unless their demands are fulfilled. Meanwhile, students’ academics are largely affected, although the colleges are running on a normal basis, the lectures are being adjusted according to the teachers’ availability, say students.
“The institutes are severely short staffed due to this agitation. Hence, our lectures are conducted in combined system and lecturers, who have specialisation in other subjects apart from theirs, are taking classes. No practicals have been held so far during the past one month. We are engineering students and practicals are important for us. However, we understand the reason why our teachers went on strike and empathise with them,” said another student of computer department.
A statement released by the media coordinator of Sinhagad Institutes stated, “Sinhagad Institutes has been carrying out lectures smoothly as per the schedule shared. The institute has already sent a circular to the teachers indicating a clear timeline for the payment of their salaries. In spite of that, on Thursday, January 4, 2018, the teachers who are on strike, entered classrooms and disrupted the ongoing lectures of the students. We are diligently committed towards the education of our students and in our pursuit of doing so, we have been delivering daily lectures. Such malicious behaviour by the agitated teachers will not be tolerated and the management will take stringent action against staff members disrupting students’ academics.”
