Assam College Teachers to Launch Statewide Stir From Nov 18 Over 13 Demands

Guwahati: The Assam College Teachers' Association (ACTA), the apex body of teachers in the state's provincialised colleges, announced a continuous statewide agitation starting November 18, accusing the government of prolonged silence and indifference over its 13-point charter of demands. The decision was announced in a joint statement issued from the association's central office at Solapara in Guwahati's Paltan Bazar. ACTA president Dr Bipul Chakrabarty and general secretary Dr Parag Jyoti Mahanta expressed deep anguish over the government's inaction. They said the demands had been formally brought to the notice of the chief minister and the education minister several times since October 7, 2024, without any outcome. The leaders argued that the demands were not unreasonable. Barring the plea for mutual transfers, which they said was raised purely on humanitarian grounds, every other demand is fully in line with University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. They pointed out that these norms have already been put into effect in almost every state in the country, leaving the teachers of Assam alone facing what they called unprecedented discrimination. The association also recalled an earlier meeting at which the chief minister himself accepted the core issues raised by ACTA as justified. He had assured the delegation that the government would take effective steps at the earliest, the leaders said, and had requested some time to do so. "More than one and a half years have passed since this assurance, yet the government has not taken any effective step till date. It is now time for the government to come forward and find a permanent solution to these problems through formal discussions. College teachers who serve with great dedication and responsibility in the provincialised colleges of Assam cannot be deprived of their rightful entitlements and basic justice," Dr Chakrabarty and Dr Mahanta said. The announcement follows a series of recent protests. On October 30, college teachers across Assam suspended academic activities and held peaceful demonstrations over unresolved service-related and financial demands. Among the major demands were the reopening of the OM 2013 portal and the scrapping of the National Pension System in favour of the Old Pension Scheme. ACTA urged the chief minister to treat the teachers' just demands with a sense of commitment and to intervene immediately so that the academic year is not harmed. The leaders made it clear that the association remained open to peaceful dialogue, but warned that it would be compelled to intensify the democratic movement if their long-pending dues were not secured. They added that the agitation was not only for the present generation of teachers but also for safeguarding the future of students, who would eventually take charge of higher education and guide society.