Bills for quota in higher education, general transfer of teachers passed
Keeping a hawk’s eye on the upcoming panchayat elections, three bills were passed in the state Assembly on Thursday.
All the three bills — The West Bengal Higher Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill 2013, The West Bengal School Service Amendment Bill 2013 (General transfer of the teachers) and The Presidency University (Amendment) Bill — were moved by state education minister Bratya Basu which was passed.
In an attempt to woo the minorities in the state, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced that her government would be making reservations for the SCs, STs and OBCs and minorities in higher education. According to the higher education institutions bill, 22 per cent, six per cent, 10 per cent and seven per cent of the seats would be reserved for STs, SCs, OBC (category A) and OBC (category B) respectively in colleges and universities, totalling 45 per cent of the total permitted strength.
Further, the bill also stated that for implementing the new Act, 4.15 lakh new seats would have to be created in undergraduate courses and 31,000 seats in postgraduate courses. A financial liability of `1,070 crore would be borne by the state government and the bill would come into effect from the academic session 2014-15. Meanwhile, despite morally accepting the bill, leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra said that the bill needs to be discussed more or else the state government would face difficulties in implementing the bill.
On the other hand, the The West Bengal School Service Amendment Bill 2013 (General Transfer of the teachers) would now benefit the teachers to apply for transfer. According to the bill, a teacher completing five years of uninterrupted and satisfactory service would be eligible to apply for a transfer. It also mentions that female teachers would get the priority for this. Further, the bill has also given provision for the headmasters to apply for the general transfer.
The Presidency University (Amendment) Bill 2013 provides for creation of a mentor group of prominent persons who would suggest measures to make the university a centre for academic excellence. The bill is an amendment to the Presidency University Act of 2010.
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