DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Senior Leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema while commenting sternly on the condition of the state in the field of public education said that the ruling Congress and SAD-BJP governments have pushed Punjab universities, colleges, schools and other government educational institutions to the brink of collapse under a deliberate conspiracy. Cheema, while meeting a delegation of Punjabi University, Patiala urged Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Education Minister Pargat Singh to implement new pay scales of UGC in all Universities and Colleges of Punjab with immediate effect. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, Harpal Singh Cheema said that the January 2016 recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission of the Union Government have been implemented by other state governments since 2018 but the Punjab government has not implemented these new pay scales in the universities and colleges of Punjab even after a lapse of 4 years which is directly hitting the morale of the revered professors / lecturers and this is further having a detrimental effect on the entire education sector. Harpal Singh Cheema alleged, "Chief Minister Channi and Pargat Singh have also been proved to be gasbags like erstwhile CM Capt Amarinder Singh and are not at allserious about the state's primary and higher education system." What could be more embarrassing for Punjab than the fact that the neighboring states of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have implemented the Centre's seventh pay scale for professors of their universities and colleges. Even the State like Himachal Pardesh which follows Punjab while taking administrative decision has decided to implement the seventh pay scale from January this year out of respect for the teachers of its colleges and universities. When Himachal Pradesh leaves behind Punjab in implementing this decision, it is a slap in the face to the Punjab government. Harpal Singh Cheema said that due to non-implementation of 7th pay commission in universities and colleges by the Punjab government, teachers of all the universities and colleges in Punjab have been on hunger strike and protesting for their rights for a long period but Punjab government did not pay any heed to them which clearly shows the callous attitude of Congress government towards saving the higher education of the State. Harpal Singh Cheema assured the delegation of Punjabi University that the Aam Aadmi Party would do its utmost to meet the demands of the professors/lecturers on all fronts as providing quality education to the children of the country was the main objective of AAP. Cheema urged the Punjab Government to immediately implement the 7th Pay Commission of the Central Government to the Universities, Colleges etc. (editor@dailyworld.in)