SURAT, May 17: Vice-chancellor Ashwin Kapadia and office-bearers of the South Gujarat College and University Teachers Association will be summoned to Gandhinagar shortly to hammer out a resolution to the teachers' threat to not hand over answer-scripts if their demand for more assessment remuneration was not honoured.Minister of State for Education Anandiben Patel told reporters tonight that she was apprised of the issue on coming to Surat and would call both the parties to Gandhinagar either on Monday or Tuesday to end the stalemate that was threatening to delay the announcement of results of annual examinations.Meanwhile, the teachers have accused Kapadia of misrepresenting the issue and exaggerating the expenditure amount the university might have to bear if their demand for two-fold hike in assessment was met. If their remuneration was doubled, the cost will not be more than Rs 12.50 lakh, they said.
Before asking its members to keep the answer-scripts in their possession, the association had given the university sufficient time for negotiations, which the vice-chancellor ignored, the agitating teachers claimed in a statement. Kapadia did not even show the courtesy of inviting teachers for a talk, even after getting the memorandum, they said, accusing him of being a liar.
Referring to the vice-chancellor's allegation that the agitation was sponsored by an individual or two, they claimed it had the approval of representatives of all colleges. They dubbed as crocodile tears Kapadia's statement that the agitation would affect students' careers.
If he had taken the April 22 letter seriously, the present situation would not have arisen, the association claimed, blaming the vice-chancellor for not keeping in mind students' interests.
Kapadia should have kept the dignity of his chair in mind before levelling allegations against teachers, the teachers said.
