Block grant teachers threaten to boycott evaluation of Plus II answer sheets

Bhubaneswar: Lecturers of 488-category block grant colleges of Odisha on Wednesday threatened to boycott the evaluation of answer sheets of the recently concluded Plus II examinations if the state government fails to issue a directive regarding fulfillment of their demand by April 3.

A decision in this regard was taken after a meeting of the 488-category private lecturers' coordination committee with the Higher Education minister Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy at the State Secretariat here went in vein.

After the meeting failed to yield any result, the teachers threatened to boycott the evaluation process beginning from April 4.

Pabitra Mahala, president of 488-categrory college lecturers’ association, said, “The meeting was held for around two hours, but it failed to yield any outcome. The government failed to take any decision on our demands.”

“We hope the government will take a decision on our demands; by April 3 otherwise, we will boycott the evaluation process beginning from April 4,” Mahala dded.

Following the development, the Higher Education minister requested the teachers to cooperate in the evaluation process.

“The 488-block grant teachers’ body today submitted a five point chatters of demand including the abolition of block grant system. We had a discussion over it,” the minister said,

“I request them not to link their demands with the evaluation of the answer sheets, which may affect the future of the students. I have also requested them to cooperate in the evaluation process,” Panigrahi added.

Notably, a meeting on Wednesday between the teachers’ body and the state government discussed the issues of abolition of block grant system and provision of full aid.