No proposal to shift control of PU officials to Zilla Panchayats, says Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Tuesday asserted that there is no proposal to transfer administrative control of Pre-University education officials to Zilla Panchayats.
The minister's clarification comes in the wake of lecturers threatening to boycott evaluation work over this reported move to shift control.
Reacting to this issue during zero hour of the state's legislative council, the minister said that he had already discussed the subject with legislators and stakeholders and clarified the government's stand. He also warned against pressure tactics such as boycotting the evaluation, stressing that it would harm students' interests.
"I clearly stated that there is no such proposal and we will not do it under any circumstances," Bangarappa said, reiterating that no government order had been issued in this regard.
The government has not taken any decision to shift administrative control of Deputy Directors of PU education to Zilla Panchayats, he added.
On pending dues, the minister said financial clearances have been obtained, and payments would be credited to lecturers' accounts "by around the 20th." The minister further said that resorting to a boycott call after discussions "amounts to acting against the interests of children," and urged teachers to resolve issues through dialogue.
"The welfare of students is paramount... laws and decisions must ultimately benefit children," he said, appealing to lecturers to reconsider their stand.
Earlier, Congress MLC Puttanna raised the issue, citing media reports that lecturers were opposing the move to bring PU colleges under Zilla Panchayats and that they had threatened to boycott evaluation work. He cautioned that such a move would lead to "interference from multiple levels" and "a decline in quality of education," besides creating administrative confusion.
Puttanna also urged the government to continue to maintain PU education's control under the education department and to immediately revise the evaluation honorarium, which he said had not been updated for three years. He demanded clearance of pending dues and timely payments henceforth.
JD(S) MLC Bhojegowda echoed similar concerns and sought the withdrawal of a proposed file on the issue. He also called for revision of lecturer-student ratios as per NCERT norms, restoration of the examination division under the PU Directorate, and withdrawal of orders affecting aided college lecturers.
Bhojegowda warned that if demands were not met, lecturers and staff were considering a statewide boycott of PU-II answer script evaluation and an indefinite protest in Bengaluru.
Reiterating the government's position, Bangarappa said discussions remained open but emphasised that "in the interest of children, we will not proceed with this."
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Railway exams postponed after pro-Kannada activists protests over exclusion of language
Bengaluru (PTI): South Western Railway on Tuesday abruptly postponed its recruitment examinations following protests by pro-Kannada organisations over the conduct of tests only in English and Hindi.
Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike gathered outside exam centres in Bengaluru and Hubballi, demanding that the exams also be held in Kannada.
"The recruitment examinations have been postponed due to the protests and next dates would be announced later," a SWR official said.
Officials said the South Western Railway (SWR) had scheduled promotion examinations on Tuesday to fill 295 posts, including 194 posts of goods train manager.
Following the development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged the Union Government to ensure that Kannada-speaking candidates are not subjected to "such injustice".
He also sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue necessary directions in this regard, demanding that the cancelled examinations be conducted at the earliest, with provision to write them in Kannada.
The morning exams were postponed after members of the pro-Kannada organisation staged protests near the exam centres in parts of the state including Bengaluru. The exams scheduled for the afternoon hours have also been postponed, he said.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has been opposing the move to drop the local language from the recruitment exams, stating it could prevent local candidates from appearing.
Welcoming the postponement, the organisation warned it would resume protests if the exams are held again without meeting its demands.
"Every state language must be respected. Candidates must be allowed to write exams in their respective state languages...Kannada in Karnataka, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Marathi in Maharashtra, so that local candidates can have better opportunities to serve in higher positions," Hanumanthappa Ambigeri, a member of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, told reporters in Hubballi.
Taking to social media platform 'X', Siddaramaiah said the Railway Department has abruptly cancelled the promotion examinations scheduled to be held today for 194 Goods Train Manager posts in South Western Railway and 101 LDCE posts in the Hubballi division, placing Kannada employees in uncertainty.
This follows strong opposition from Kannadigas and Kannada organisations, he said.
Siddaramaiah pointed out that thousands of Kannada-speaking employees had already raised objections over the lack of provision to write the examination in the local language.
Despite peaceful protests, he alleged that the department failed to respond in time, cancelling the examinations at the last moment and leading to the present confusion.
"Had the department acted early and allowed the examination in Kannada, this situation could have been avoided. Instead, its indifferent approach and last-minute cancellation after protests intensified is condemnable," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister claimed that this is not the first instance, nor will it be the last, of Kannadigas facing injustice in central government examinations.
"Due to the continued imposition of Hindi in recruitment processes across central departments, Kannada candidates have long been subjected to unfair treatment," he alleged.
"It is unfortunate that this has occurred even when (state MP) V Somanna serves as Minister of State for Railways. I had expected that he would stand for Kannadigas and address this injustice, but that expectation has not been fulfilled. He must move beyond words and act in the interest of Karnataka," he said.
Siddaramaiah said that Kannadigas have already experienced the adverse impact of the Centre's preference for Hindi and neglect of regional languages. Restricting central examinations to Hindi and English is unacceptable, he said.
"India is a union of states formed on linguistic foundations. We do not oppose Hindi, but we will not accept its imposition over Kannada. Kannadigas are not seeking employment or promotion as charity, but asserting their right in the language they were educated in," he added.
