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Guwahati, Sept. 13: Dispur has convened an urgent meeting with college teachers tomorrow following their recent decision to dump the government’s initiative of installing electronic attendance recording devices and CCTVs at the institutes for effective surveillance.
College teachers said monitoring of their sincerity in work through such gadgets is “an insult to the noble profession of teaching”.
Sources said education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took serious note of the development and even asked officials of his department to convince the college teachers on the necessity of installing such devices to modernise the education system.
“In tomorrow’s meeting, Sarma will discuss in detail with representatives of the Assam College Teachers’ Association (ACTA) about the inconveniences that the college teachers are facing to record their attendance through electronic devices or biometrics punching machines. There will be a discussion on a possible suitable alternative,” the source said.
The 39th annual conference of the association which was held in Karimganj district last month, adopted a formal resolution on the issue and had asked all teachers in different colleges to convert the resolution into practice from Teachers’ Day on September 5.
According to the decision, college teachers refused to mark their attendance through electronic attendance recording devices or biometrics punching machines from September 5.
They went back to the manual system of registering their attendance.
The association has also vehemently opposed installation of CCTVs in teachers’ common rooms and classrooms.
The directorate of higher education last year issued a directive asking the colleges to install electronic attendance recording devices and CCTV cameras to effectively monitor teachers’ works.
The move came after Dispur received reports and allegations that many teachers did not spend the minimum six hours 40 minutes a day in college as stipulated by the UGC.
Sources said an executive meeting of the association held today resolved to continue their earlier decision till a fruitful solution comes out from tomorrow’s meeting.
“There are many sincere college teachers who spend nearly nine hours at work. The executive meeting said colleges cannot be treated as corporate houses where such devices prove effective,” the source said.
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