Resentment is brewing among the college teachers of State over higher education department’s plan to reduce the summer vacations by ten days. In a letter, the Higher education director has asked the colleges affiliated with Garhwal Central University to observe the summer vacation from June 1 to July 5, which implies that the vacations this time would be reduced by ten days.
The summer vacation in the colleges of the State usually starts on June 1 and extends till July 15. The Federation of Uttarakhand Government Degree Colleges Teachers Association (FUGDCTA) has expressed its disappointment at the order restricting the vacations. To add to the problems of these teachers, the examination schedule of Sri Dev Suman Uttarakhand University is also running late and clashing with the summer vacation.
The university would conduct its examination from May 11 to June 18. Most of the colleges of Garhwal University are also the examination centres of non regular private candidates of SSDU University which means that these colleges would have to detain their teaching staff till June 18, which would further reduce their vacations.
FUGDCTA president Yatish Vashistha said that the decision to reduce vacations is not acceptable to the teachers. He was of the view that it is better if the State Government abolish the summer vacations given to teaching staff and extend the facility of Earned leave (El) like other Government employees to them.
It is worth mentioning here that the college teachers do not get the benefit of El as they are entitled for summer vacations. The higher education Director BC Malkani said that the vacations are reduced to comply the High Court (HC) order which mandates 180 days of teaching in the colleges.
He accepted that teachers would face the problems due to examination schedule of SDSU University. Malkani said that he would request the university to make the examination schedule keeping in view the summer vacations from next year.