41 TEACHERS OF ST.STEPHEN’S WRITE TO PRINCIPAL TO HONOUR ASSURANCE GIVEN TO STAFF COUNCIL
In response to an email (copy attached) received by all Heads of Department from the Principal, 41 out of 53 permanent teachers of St. Stephen’s College who were available/not on leave have submitted the following letter to the Principal on 10th March, 2017. Some other teachers have sent or are sending similar letters on their own or through their department.
Nandita Narain
(President, Staff Association,
St Stephen’s College)
10.3.2017
The Principal,
St Stephens College,
Delhi 110007
Sub: In respect of your letter to the Heads of Departments
Dear Sir,
This is with reference to the meeting that you had on the 6th of March 2017 with some Heads of the Departments at St Stephens College and your subsequent e-mail to all the Heads. We would like to point out that the meeting was held with grossly inadequate notice, even no notice in the case of some Heads. As a result, Heads of some Departments were unable to attend the meeting.
We wish to object strongly to your decision to ask individual faculty members to give in their feedback on the question of autonomy before 10th March 2017, in the form of responses to a questionnaire with questions that are either irrelevant or un-answerable on the basis of the almost non-existent information available to us. The established and time honored practice in public institutions, when, considering proposals of key policy choice which have fundamental and irrevocable implications, is to prepare and issue a detailed consultation paper, with full and transparent disclosure and information, and then invite comments and suggestions from all the stakeholders, while also giving them ample time for internal discussions and careful reflection. The two page document that has been referred to by you is nothing but a wishful and, woefully inadequate sketch and has no details of academic, administrative or financial issues involved.
We would like to point out that you gave the following solemn assurance to the Staff Council on 3rd March 2017: The Chair decided to carry the concerns of the teachers to the Governing Body and will urge the members to permit the principal to have the discussion with all stakeholders and then decide whether or not application for autonomy is made to DU/UGC. The concerns of the faculty members were made abundantly clear at this four and a half hour long meeting. These concerns of the Staff Council, a statutory body of Delhi University, must be first conveyed to the Governing Body before we are asked to give any feedback or to proceed further in any manner with respect to the proposal for autonomous status.
At the meeting of the Heads of Departments, you expressed your strong disapproval of a faculty member who went to the press, and threatened disciplinary action against her. We wish to point out that the service conditions of the teachers of Delhi University, of which St Stephens is a constituent college, do not in any way restrict our right to approach the press to express our views and protect our interests.
We request you to convene a meeting of the Governing Body and place before it the ratified minutes of the proceedings of the Staff Council meeting held on 3rd March 2017. The GB, after taking into account the issues that were raised in the Staff Council meeting, should set up a mechanism, for wide ranging consultations among the various stakeholders, with clear procedures and rules, in order to achieve a consensus amongst all stake-holders.
Sincerely,
Signed by 41 out of 53 permanent teachers who were available/not on leave.
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