II PU evaluation fails to take off

The second PU results are set to be delayed as the alternative plan made by the government to rope in lecturers from aided and unaided colleges failed to take off on Saturday. Hardly any lecturers turned up for valuation work at several centres in Bengaluru. The situation across the state was no different. There are 46 centres across the state of which 20 are located in Bengaluru. Ramegowda, director, Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE), however, expressed confidence that the valuation process will pick up pace from Monday when lecturers turn up in full strength. In some of the centres DH visited, lecturers did not turn up for valuation work.The government has said that it will send notices to the lecturers who boycotted the work. Judging the mood of agitating lecturers, the government is considering to rope in SSLC teachers with required qualifications of post graduation to do the valuation. The DPUE has approached the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board for high school teachers besides seeking the services of degree college lecturers. Sources in the education department said they are considering to rope in senior SSLC teachers who are due for promotion as PU lecturers in the next couple of years. There are 2,780 such teachers. Senior PU lecturers, however, said that such strategies amounted to playing with the future of students as “inexperience” leads to numerous problems in the results. S R Venkatesh, working president of the State PU lecturers association, accused the government of trying to divide and rule lecturers. Meanwhile, 44,000 SSLC teachers of Karnataka Rajya Badti Sarkari Proudashala Shikshakara Sangha and Karnataka State Aided Schools and Colleges employees association have decided to stay away from the SSLC evaluation beginning from Monday to express solidarity with agitating PU lecturers.   Deccan Herald