AMCTA for review of new working schedule
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 10 2022: All Manipur College Teachers' Association (AMCTA) has reportedly discussed the new working hours and its impact on students and teachers as well as other issues during an executive committee meeting held on April 9 at Oriental College, Imphal.

According to an AMCTA statement, department of university and higher education issued a notification on April 5 directing colleges to start classes from 8 am while giving reference to state cabinet decision taken on March 22 .

In fact, the cabinet took no decision to alter working hours for higher education and no directive for the same was given.

The GAD notice issued on March 26 regarding 5-day working week and early working hours beginning from 8 am were meant for offices, agencies, bodies and PSUs under state government.

The GAD notice also instructed department of education (S) to start government, aided and private schools to begin classes from 8 am but no instruction was given for higher education.

Nevertheless, department of university and higher education issued a notification on April 5 directing colleges to start classes from 8 am without carefully studying the reason behind the state cabinet leaving out higher education from the purview of the new working hour schedule, the statement said, while maintaining that there is huge difference between working hours of collegiate education and school education.

According to the AMCTA statement, students and teachers coming from other districts will face immense difficulty in attending classes from 8 am if the new working schedule announced by department of university and higher education is implemented.

The early working hours schedule will even create health hazard to students in the long run as the students will have no time for lunch and no college has proper lunch facilities or canteens as of now, AMCTA said and urged higher education department to reconsider the April 5 notification.

While welcoming government's decision on new working hours to ease traffic congestion, AMCTA pointed out that keeping working time same for schools and higher education will rather increase traffic volume and create more problems.

It also said that department of university and higher education should not issue notice against state cabinet decision.

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