Mumbai: If lectures can be held online, so can the protest

Smt. Indira Gandhi College of Engineering, Ghansoli. Pic/sigce.edu.in

If lectures can be held online, so can the agitation. Amid the COVID-19-related restrictions, professors of Smt. Indira Gandhi College of Engineering (SIGCE), Ghansoli, have taken the help of technology to protest against the non-payment of full salary for 19 months.

Professors hold discussions during their online protest

Their salaries were slashed much before the pandemic due to financial crunch, but the situation worsened following the COVID-19 lockdown. Professors complained that the college has completed the admissions and charged full fees from students, but is still not paying their full salaries. The management, however, claimed that it is struggling.

On January 23, mid-day had reported about the plight of Maharashtra's engineering college professors who had to take up odd jobs to make their ends meet. Protest by the Ghansoli college professors shows the struggle continues. They decided to hold an online protest after being denied permission to gather on the campus.

"Throughout the year, teachers were called to college and asked to take up both academic and non-academic work, even though the classes were being held online. But, when we wanted to raise our issues, we were asked to remain home due to the pandemic," said professor Govind Waghmare.

So, we decided to raise our voice online, he said. We gather for an hour every day, and to ensure our grievances are heard, we send the links of our discussion to government officials, regulatory bodies, college representatives and the education minister, Waghmare added. Professors said even the date of payment is not fixed.

On their complaints earlier, the Directorate of Technical Education formed a committee to enquire into this in March, he said. The report is yet to come.

Dr H S Dhanawade, another professor, said, "We waited patiently for a long time for the management to resolve the issue. Now, even admissions are complete with a significant enrollment and there was not even a relaxation of fees. So why the trouble with our payments?" Protesting professors said that not everyone is part of their agitation, as those with huge salary packages are not troubled with pay cuts or delays. "We raised the issue with the Mumbai University, which ignored it after merely sending a letter to the college to address their issue," said Vaibhav Narawade, president of Mumbai University College Teachers Association.

College Principal Dr Sunil Chavan said, "Professors have been paid salaries every month, though may not be full. But the management is working to resolve this. Admissions were delayed, and some government grants are also pending, especially the fee reimbursements. We are talking to the professors and hope to reach a resolution soon."

19 - No. of months for which they haven't been paid full salary