Assam college teachers to hold sit-in protests, pen down strike over delayed promotions, pending arrears

College teachers across Assam will suspend academic activities and stage statewide sit-in protests on October 30 following a call by the Assam College Teachers’ Association (ACTA) to press the state government to address their long-pending service-related and financial demands.

The protest will be held across provincialised colleges in the state, with teachers observing a pen-down strike and holding peaceful demonstrations on their respective campuses.

In a press statement, ACTA president Dr Bipul Chakrabarty and general secretary Dr Parag Jyoti Mahanta said the agitation was prompted by prolonged administrative delays, unresolved policy issues and the alleged failure of the government to fulfil its financial commitments to college teachers.

The association said the inadequate implementation of University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines had affected teachers' promotion prospects, professional dignity and morale. It warned that unresolved service-related issues were adding to the challenges facing Assam's provincialised higher education sector.

Pension Reform, Promotions Among Key Demands

ACTA has urged the state government to reopen the OM 2013 portal to resolve pending service-related matters. It has also demanded the scrapping of the National Pension System (NPS) and the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to ensure retirement security for college teachers.

The association has sought the counting of previous service for seniority and promotions in accordance with UGC guidelines. It has also demanded that Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) promotions be granted from the dates teachers became eligible, in line with prescribed UGC timelines.

Other demands include the immediate regularisation of fixed-pay teachers and the release of financial benefits to eligible CAS-promoted teachers from their respective dates of eligibility, without additional conditions.

ACTA has also called for comprehensive leave rules for college teachers and the immediate release of pending UGC-scale arrears and withheld additional increments for MPhil and PhD qualifications.

ACTA Seeks Retirement Age Of 65, Recruitment To Vacant Posts

The association has demanded that the retirement age of college teachers be increased to 65 years in accordance with UGC norms. It has also sought the removal of administrative hurdles and irregularities affecting promotions, along with a simplified mutual transfer process to address teachers' personal difficulties.

Filling vacant teaching posts across departments is another key demand. ACTA said recruitment was necessary to maintain the prescribed student-teacher ratio and reduce the workload on existing faculty members.

Association Appeals For Unity

ACTA has appealed to its members across Assam to participate in the pen-down strike and demonstrations, stressing the need for unity to ensure the success of the agitation.

Acknowledging that the protest could temporarily disrupt academic activities, the association maintained that the agitation had become a last resort to secure teachers' long-pending demands.

ACTA has called for urgent government intervention to resolve the outstanding issues and address concerns affecting teachers in the state's provincialised colleges.