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JNU admin has no intentions of retracting from autocratic functioning: JNUTA on AC meeting

The JNUTA has expressed its dismay at the outcome of the 146th Academic Council meeting that was held on July 13, 2018. In a statement released on July 14, the JNUTA noted that the JNU administration and Chair of the Academic Council, the Vice Chancellor Professor M Jagadesh Kumar made it amply clear that “they have no intention of retracting from their autocratic mode of functioning and no interest in upholding procedural integrity” It said that several sweeping decisions were pushed through in the meeting despite the fact that the issues on the agenda demanded “extensive discussion” on the floor, proper procedure, due deliberation and caution.

JNUTA

As per the statement, several constituents were denied representation in the meeting. These included the School of Arts and Aesthetics (SAA), Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health (CSMCH) and the Centre for Study of Social Systems (CSSS), mostly on “spurious” grounds. Students too, were denied representation as JUNSU was debarred from attending the meeting. The statement also said that the acting dean of SAA was “explicitly denied permission” for attending the AC meeting. Further, that Dr. Vikas Bajpai, seemingly duly deputed by the chairperson of CSMCH to attend the meeting was even humiliated by the VC inside the meeting. Moreover, reportedly the representatives of CSMCH and CSSS were even forced to leave the meeting due to the humiliation faced by them at the hands of  the VC.

The JNUTA has strongly condemned the uncivil language used by the VC as Chair of the AC, with the faculty colleagues, who were representing the interests of their centers at the Academic council meeting.

Their statement said that this was a tragic string of development that the highest decision making body of the university had been turned into a personal fiefdom run on a “feudal mode of governance that operates as a function of the personal likes and dislikes of the VC.”

The statement drew attention to the issue of the proposed computerisation and outsourcing of the entrance examination of the university and said that there were many problems with this approach. Firstly, questions were raised on the suitability of multiple choice/objective type tests for all programmes across all levels, BA up to PhD, based on the experiences of several universities which, in the past had adopted this approach including the University of Delhi and Pondicherry University. The financial liability to the institution to implement such an approach was completely unreported, it said. However, the JNUTA expressed its shock in the statement that all its concerns were disregarded. It said, “The press note issued by Rector-I in a tearing hurry last evening (before the Minutes of the meeting were even prepared, let alone, passed) indicates that the administration has enclosed itself in an echo-chamber blocking out all judicious suggestions and refusing to pay heed to anything contrary to their predetermined decisions.”

The statement also highlighted the administration’s approach on the issue of mandatory attendance that is currently being examined by the courts. It highlighted, “A casual remark made by the Vice Chancellor on biometric attendance for students under Any Other Item, has been most irresponsibly tuned into an AC resolution on attendance for staff, students and teachers. It is unfortunate that the AC has long ceased to be a forum for deliberation and has been turned into a mechanism for rubber-stamping decisions.”

JNUTA strongly condemned the “irresponsible and damaging conduct” of the important administrative functions by the current administration of JNU. It demanded that the administration should refrain from implementing wide-sweeping and ill-conceived decisions that will further damage the institutional functioning and vitiate the academic environment of the university.
 
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