JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS OF DELHI
In a strong show of solidarity, a Joint Press Conference was
addressed by Office Bearers of the DUTA and Teachers Associations of
Jamia (JTA), IGNOU and Ambedkar University(AUDFA), as well as JNU
Students Union along with fourteen students organisations viz. Aahwan,
AIDSO, AISA, AISF, Bhagat Singh Chhatra Sangathan, CYSS(Student wing of
Aam Admi Party),Disha,DSU, KYS,NEFIS, NSUI,Pachhas, SFI, SYS(Student
wing of Swaraj Abhiyan), in which the reasons for demanding the
withdrawal of UGC Gazette Notification, 2016, and the rollback of the
anti-academic API system were explained.
Prof
Gopal Pradhan(AUDFA) pointed out that that a fund-granting
authority(UGC) had no right to effect unilateral changes in the number
and proportion of lectures, tutorials and practicals, as it constituted
an attack on the academic autonomy of the Universities. Moreover, each
University had its own special character and needs, and the mindless,
bureaucratic mechanism laid down in the API could not be applied to
all.
Gopal Pradhan(AUDFA) pointed out that that a fund-granting
authority(UGC) had no right to effect unilateral changes in the number
and proportion of lectures, tutorials and practicals, as it constituted
an attack on the academic autonomy of the Universities. Moreover, each
University had its own special character and needs, and the mindless,
bureaucratic mechanism laid down in the API could not be applied to
all.
Prof Musheer Ahmad(JTA)
criticised the sharp increase in the workload by excluding tutorials and
counting only half the practicals in the teaching hours, that would
lead to massive retrenchment and degradation in the quality of teaching,
learning and research. He opposed the new API rules including the
unrealistic demand of 600 teaching hours in a year and the inclusion of
student feedback that would strain the student-teacher relationship in a
situation where students are often guided by their short-term interests
rather than long-term ones, and biases on lines of caste, religion,
gender may exist. Moreover, teachers have been increasingly kept out of
academic decision-making in and cannot be held responsible for the
deterioration in course content and structure, examination and grading
systems.
criticised the sharp increase in the workload by excluding tutorials and
counting only half the practicals in the teaching hours, that would
lead to massive retrenchment and degradation in the quality of teaching,
learning and research. He opposed the new API rules including the
unrealistic demand of 600 teaching hours in a year and the inclusion of
student feedback that would strain the student-teacher relationship in a
situation where students are often guided by their short-term interests
rather than long-term ones, and biases on lines of caste, religion,
gender may exist. Moreover, teachers have been increasingly kept out of
academic decision-making in and cannot be held responsible for the
deterioration in course content and structure, examination and grading
systems.
Prof Ajay
Mahurkar(IGNOUTA) emphasised the attack on academic freedom and
creativity by the stipulation of publishing only in UGC-prescribed
journals. This would adversely affect research in critical,
non-mainstream areas, and could be used to manipulate content and
suppress inconvenient and dissident voices.
Mahurkar(IGNOUTA) emphasised the attack on academic freedom and
creativity by the stipulation of publishing only in UGC-prescribed
journals. This would adversely affect research in critical,
non-mainstream areas, and could be used to manipulate content and
suppress inconvenient and dissident voices.
Bikram
Choudhary(JNUTA) could not be present but sent a resolution expressing
solidarity with DUTA’s struggle and demanding a withdrawal of the UGC
Notification and complete rollback of API, that had severely degraded
both research and teaching.
Choudhary(JNUTA) could not be present but sent a resolution expressing
solidarity with DUTA’s struggle and demanding a withdrawal of the UGC
Notification and complete rollback of API, that had severely degraded
both research and teaching.
Nandita
Narain(DUTA) said that in a formal presentation on Global Ranking
organised by the DU Vice Chancellor, Prof Yogesh Tyagi, members of a
select committee had been informed that the Delhi University’s global
ranked had dropped from 254 in 2007 to 491 in 2015. The major area of
concern that had lowered the rank was student-teacher ratio that was a
poor 20:1 as compared to the Asian average of 13:1, which was also much
lower than in the developed countries. She pointed out that the
deterioration in the ranking clearly coincided with the disastrous
academic restructuring policies(no commensurate hiring after 54%
expansion in student strength following adoption of OBC reservation,
mindless imposition of semester system, FYUP, CBCS ) that have been
followed by successive governments. The latest unilateral increase in
workload and corresponding retrenchment would have a sharp adverse
impact on student-teacher ratio and push the global rank down even
further, perhaps irretrievably.
Narain(DUTA) said that in a formal presentation on Global Ranking
organised by the DU Vice Chancellor, Prof Yogesh Tyagi, members of a
select committee had been informed that the Delhi University’s global
ranked had dropped from 254 in 2007 to 491 in 2015. The major area of
concern that had lowered the rank was student-teacher ratio that was a
poor 20:1 as compared to the Asian average of 13:1, which was also much
lower than in the developed countries. She pointed out that the
deterioration in the ranking clearly coincided with the disastrous
academic restructuring policies(no commensurate hiring after 54%
expansion in student strength following adoption of OBC reservation,
mindless imposition of semester system, FYUP, CBCS ) that have been
followed by successive governments. The latest unilateral increase in
workload and corresponding retrenchment would have a sharp adverse
impact on student-teacher ratio and push the global rank down even
further, perhaps irretrievably.
Shehla
Rashid(JNUSU) linked the struggle to the nation-wide students’struggle
against reduction of funds for higher education as in the Occupy UGC
movement against the reduction of the Non-Net Fellowship, as well as the
struggle for more democratic, inclusive education as exemplified in the
demand for justice in the case of Rohith Vemula’s institutional murder.
She pointed out that the Government’s insistence on students’ feedback
for teachers promotions is not matched by a willingness to consider the
feedback given by elected students’ organisations as in JNU, FTII, HCU,
Allahabad Central University etc. The repression unleashed on students
campaigning for increased library and other facilities or demanding
students elections where no elected unions exist (as in BHU) clearly
shows that the motive for introducing student feedback for determining
teachers promotions is not any genuine concern for students interests
but to have another stick to beat teachers with and to create divisions
between students and teachers.
Rashid(JNUSU) linked the struggle to the nation-wide students’struggle
against reduction of funds for higher education as in the Occupy UGC
movement against the reduction of the Non-Net Fellowship, as well as the
struggle for more democratic, inclusive education as exemplified in the
demand for justice in the case of Rohith Vemula’s institutional murder.
She pointed out that the Government’s insistence on students’ feedback
for teachers promotions is not matched by a willingness to consider the
feedback given by elected students’ organisations as in JNU, FTII, HCU,
Allahabad Central University etc. The repression unleashed on students
campaigning for increased library and other facilities or demanding
students elections where no elected unions exist (as in BHU) clearly
shows that the motive for introducing student feedback for determining
teachers promotions is not any genuine concern for students interests
but to have another stick to beat teachers with and to create divisions
between students and teachers.
Anupam(CYSS)
wondered why authorities had never tried to implement asked for
implementation of Students-Faculty Committees in every College and
department as reportedly passed by the DU Academic Council in 2003, that
would be a much healthier way of implementing accountability. Neeraj
Mishra(NSUI), while arguing for accountability, argued against the
fund-cut, retrenchment and illogical API norms. Prashant(AIDSO).,
Subhash(KYS), Deepak (Pachhas), Chinglen(NEFIS), Sudhanshu(AISA),
Sagnik(DSU), Vaishali(Disha) also placed cogent criticism of the UGC
notification, API norms and the successive governments’ anti-people
education policies and pledged support to the teachers’ struggle.
wondered why authorities had never tried to implement asked for
implementation of Students-Faculty Committees in every College and
department as reportedly passed by the DU Academic Council in 2003, that
would be a much healthier way of implementing accountability. Neeraj
Mishra(NSUI), while arguing for accountability, argued against the
fund-cut, retrenchment and illogical API norms. Prashant(AIDSO).,
Subhash(KYS), Deepak (Pachhas), Chinglen(NEFIS), Sudhanshu(AISA),
Sagnik(DSU), Vaishali(Disha) also placed cogent criticism of the UGC
notification, API norms and the successive governments’ anti-people
education policies and pledged support to the teachers’ struggle.
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