IIT teachers on hunger strike

For the first time, about 15,000 teachers of prestigious IITs across the country went on a hunger strike on Thursday on the issue of pay structure but did not boycott classes.

The All India IIT Faculty Federation went on the strike after their charter of demands, including withdrawal of 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to senior grade, did not elicit response from the HRD ministry.

The teachers of the elite institutes went ahead with the protest as HRD minister Kapil Sibal rejected the demands of the faculty for withdrawal of 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to senior grade.

"We had asked for a meeting with the HRD ministry representatives on the issue. But there is no response. Hence, we went on with the agitation," Federation president Prof M Thenmozi of IIT-Madras told PTI.

Sibal had said the government wants to give more freedom to the over dozen institutes provided they come up with futuristic vision to achieve excellence.

"IITs are brand institutes. We respect them. We want to give them more freedom to achieve excellence. If they discuss their vision plan, we are ready to give them more autonomy," he said.

Faculty members of the IIT-Madras also joined their colleagues from other IITs in the country in the day-long fast.

"The fast is going on in the campus but none of the faculty is missing classes. Not even a single class has been suspended," M Thenmozhi, President of the All-India IIT Faculty Federation, said.

An executive committee member said that a 'majority' of the faculty participated in the protest.

She said the Federation has sought appoitment with Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal and other senior officials in the HRD before October 1 to work out a solution.

During Thursday's protest, the faculty members discussed IIT's Vision-2030, focussing on what the premier institution should be looking for in terms of teaching and the delivery of the same.

Various faculty members made presentations on this aspect during the protest, she said.