JNU administration trying to suppress our voice: JNUTA

The teachers association of JNU today said the university administration is trying to suppress the voice of elected teacher representatives, a day after the administration issued show-cause notices to 48 teachers for allegedly participating in a day strike on July 31 against the policies implemented by the vice chancellor.

The decision to issue show-cause notices was finalised at the Executive Council meeting of the varsity held yesterday, claimed JNU Professor Ayesha Kidwai.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) today in a statement said that it takes serious note of the extremely hostile attitude of the University Administration towards teachers reflected in the 275th Executive Council Meeting held yesterday.

"After trying to suppress the voice of elected teacher representatives, the Administration pushed for several anti-teacher decisions and ratification of such decisions already made by the Vice-Chancellor. In what must be a record of sorts, illegitimate denial of even stage-change promotions of 4 Assistant Professors were brought to the EC for ratification but no explanation was forthcoming about the grounds on which their outstanding academic records were completely overlooked," it said.

A continued recalcitrant attitude was also reflected towards resolution of the problem of past-service counting which the current JNU Administration has itself created, the statement said.

"Once again, the Vice Chancellor got the EC to approve addition of several names to panels of experts for selection committees without these names being approved by the Centres or even by the Academic Council," it said.

Along with its keenness to wave the stick of naked coercion against teachers, the extremely casual attitude of the Administration towards academics was also on full display, the JNUTA said in the statement.

The decision to have completely online entrance examinations involving 'outside experts' from the coming year itself was steamrolled through without any systematic discussion of its entire ramification how suitable it is for assessment of abilities across the range of disciplines and courses of study that JNU admits students to; its impact on access of students across the country to the University; its financial implications, JNUTA said.

"On the other hand, the Administration failed to itself bring on the agenda the issue of a disastrous cut in library grants. When this matter was raised, the Administration admitted to the fact of the cut - from over Rs 8 crores to 1.7 crores - but treated it as if this was a minor matter," it added.

JNUTA would like to remind the JNU Administration and the Vice Chancellor that the teachers of JNU are not going to be intimidated, as they have proved time and time again, it said.

"Actions of the kind taken in the 275th Executive Council will only serve to strengthen their resolve to beat back the concerted attack on the University and its great traditions by its own Administration," it added.