The teachers will sport black badges on July 29, stage dharna during vacant periods on August 3, cease work for an hour to hold campus rallies on August 7 and, if need be will intensify agitation from August 11.

Announcing the action programme, Dr SS Dhillon and Dr Jagwant Singh, president and general secretary of the federation, said that the Punjab government had to take blame for the protest as notification was still awaited even after six weeks of the cabinet decision. Dr Dhillon said that the demand for the new UGC pay scales was accepted by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal nearly six months ago on Feb 13 adding that the extraordinary delay was unacceptable.

Dr Jagwant Singh, general secretary of the federation, said the government had thrust an agitation on teachers, who were completely unwillingly to go on protest in the beginning of the new academic session.

He said that the delay had caused apprehensions in the mind of everyone that if the part notification had not been issued even after six weeks of cabinet of decision, how much time the government will take to come out with complete notification? He said that the MHRD notification dated December 31, 2008 was categorical that the notification “shall” be implemented without any changes; still the Punjab government has constituted a committee to examine “allowance and other benefits,” which is yet to hold its first meeting.