Junior college teachers, who launched their stir on December 10, have planned another series of dharnas and morchas from Monday. But the state government has, till date, not conceded to the unions' demands. President of Mumbai Junior College Teachers Union (MJCTU), Amar Singh, told Express Newsline, ``We have been knocking on the government's doors since October. As we got no response, we issued a notice about our indefinite stir on November 11 itself.''

Agitating teachers from the city's 260 institutions catering to about 75,000 examinees will hold a day-long dharna at Azad Maidan today. On Tuesday, they will march from Somaiya College at Vidyavihar to Chembur Education Department and from MVLU and Chinai College,Andheri to Jogeshwari Education Department. The MJCTU will also stage a morcha from SIES college to Mumbai Divisional Board of SSC and HSc at Sion. The state government has been irresponsible in not implementing demands voiced in 1996 itself, said Singh, which include that the extension of duration of lectures from 40 to 45 minutes, tutorials for mathematics, supervisors in junior colleges attached to schools and full-time status for part-time teacher whenever vacancies arise.

A committee set up by the government had acceded to these demands in 1997 itself. Now, pleading paucity of funds, the government is sitting its promise. Added Singh, the government has issued a resolution hiking up the salaries of secondary school teachers, which is now much more than that of junior college teachers. President of All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (AIFUCTO), K K Theckedath, said ``If the strike is not over by the year-end, it is going to have serious repercussions on the HScpractical exam.'' Singh also anticipated a delayed exam schedule.

An HSc student from Atomic Energy Junior College, Anushaktinagar, Rohit Chougaonkar, pointed out although teachers in his college are not on strike, he is apprehensive about the timing of the exam as his college syllabus is under the state board.

Theckedath added that if the strike prolongs, the Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU) will chart out ``sympathy support''. However, he was reluctant to comment on the exact nature of the support, maintaining that ``it is yet to be chalked out.'' School Education Minister Sudhir Joshi could not be contacted. Minister of State for Education, Anil Deshmukh, expressed his hope for an ``an early settlement''.