Congress takes BJP, Vinod Tawde to task

The Congress has said that it will start an agitation against the lethargy of the BJP government and education minister Vinod Tawde due to which nearly 10 lakh students were suffering academic losses. The Congress has alleged that as the government has failed to appoint teachers on contract for academic year 2016-17 to the nearly 5,600 vacant posts, students enrolled in the colleges since the past one and a half month are suffering and hence the agitation.

Congress party spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “There are nearly 16,707 vacant teaching posts in colleges across the state. As colleges have started since June, the lack of teachers is resulting in academic loss to the students. Though lakhs of students are affected, the lethargy and apathy of the government is clearly visible as the appointment process has not yet been started,” said Mr Sawant.

He added that there were nearly 1,172 private colleges and 34 government colleges that had 5,250 and 319 vacant posts for approved teachers. These posts were filled on an hourly basis by 16,707 teachers, but the government has not undertaken appointments on the pretext that a new university act will be introduced soon. As a result, the higher and technical education department has neither declared the intake capacity, nor held interviews or done any appointments.

“As the academic year started a month and a half ago and the absence of so many teachers is affecting nearly 10 lakh students, if the government and Mr Tawde do not take a decision on the issue soon, the Congress party will have no option but to agitate in the interest of the student community,” said Mr Sawant. He added that the government was solely responsible for the loss of the students and unless the issue is taken up, the problem will only aggravate.