Bengaluru / Mangaluru: As a mark of protest against the non-fulfillment of Pre-University lecturers’ demands by the government, the Karnataka State PU Lecturers’ Association, lecturers didn’t take up evaluation at 41 centres in eight districts -Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Dharwad, Ballari, Belagavi and Davanagere.

Association president Thimmayya Purle said PU lecturers have been demanding a hike in salary for years. “The government constituted a committee to resolve salary and other issues. In line with the recommendations of the Kumar Naik committee, PU lecturers’ monthly pay must go up from Rs 22,800 to Rs 28,100,” he said.

Besides, the lecturers found very few avenues for promotion. “If a person joins as a PU lecturer, he /she will remain a lecturer till retirement as only a few get promoted to the post of principal. This is unfair. The government should bring in a system of promotions for PU lecturers too,” they said.

The demands of the PU lecturers include sorting out discrepancies in PU lecturers’ salary and promoting lecturers who have passed UGC-NET & SLET exams to first-grade colleges.

The lecturers have stated that they would continue to boycott the evaluation work if their demands were not fulfilled.

Karnataka State Pre-University Lecturers Association had previously threatened to boycott the evaluation work but had decided to withdraw their threat ‘in the interest of students.’

The Association had decided to wear black bands on the first day of evaluation as a mark of protest.