Majority teachers ‘do their duty’ amidst MFUCTO strike call

MUMBAI: While on the one hand, over 25,000 teachers from aided colleges in the state decided to go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday, several teachers considered conducting classes for students as their primary duty and gave lectures wh-ile ignoring the call for strike. The Asian Age found that in most popular and semi-popular colleges in the city, only one to two per cent of the teachers were absent while others conducted daily classes.

The Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (MFUCTO) decided to go on an indefinite “cease work” from Tuesday, as the state government has not been fulfilling their demands since a long time. The main demands include recruitment of teachers in aided and non-aided degree colleges as it has been banned since 2015 by the government, and implementation of the seventh pay revision scheme for all teachers among others.

However, when this newspaper visited several colleges, teachers were seen taking lectures like every day. A majority of city teachers decided to “do their duty” first as students’ examinations are approaching.

“Students will shortly have their winter exams and before that, they will appear for their internal exams so it is really heartless as a teacher to bunk classes. As a teacher, I want to fight for my right which the government is not taking seriously, but as a teacher, I also don’t want my students to suffer any bit,” said Mohammad Shakir, a teacher.

Mr Tawde released a statement which read, “We have considered the dem-ands of the teachers’ association and assured them of a positive response”

Teachers on duty

Colleges like MCC at Mulund, K.J. Somaiya at Sion, S.K. Somaiya at Vidyavihar, Chetana College and National College at Bandra, K.V. Pendharkar and Pragati College at Dombivali etc. saw only one to two per cent teachers missing their lectures.