Students at two major government colleges in Dharwad—Government First Grade College and Government First Grade College for Women—staged a class boycott on Saturday. Their protest aimed to draw attention to a critical shortage of guest lecturers, which has severely impacted their academic schedules.
This coordinated protest was organized following an appeal by the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO). The organization condemned the ongoing delays in addressing academic concerns, noting that the issues persist two months into the new academic year.
During the separate demonstrations, students effectively shut down their colleges by closing the gates. They held spirited protests, demanding immediate action to resolve the faculty shortage. A major point of contention was the stark contrast with private colleges, which are already conducting internal examinations, while government college students are struggling without regular classes.
Shashikala Meti, the district secretary for AIDSO, highlighted the urgency of the situation. She pointed out that while academic calendars in some universities, such as Davangere University, have scheduled semester examinations for October or November, numerous government colleges are still struggling to hold regular classes.
Meti urged the government to postpone the upcoming examinations immediately. She insisted that these crucial tests should only proceed once proper classes have been conducted and the entire syllabus has been thoroughly covered by the lecturers.
Furthermore, she raised a pointed question, asking whether the state universities were primarily established to serve the interests of private colleges, implying a disparity in educational provision.