Kolkata (PTI): Several university teachers’ bodies in West Bengal have urged the higher education department to revoke its decision which mandates seeking consent from the department before convening urgent decision-making meetings in state universities that enjoy autonomy.
The 12 organisations, including the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, Calcutta University Teachers’ Association, Rabindra Bharati University Teachers’ Association, West Bengal State University Teachers Associations, and Teachers of Presidency University, among others, have criticised the move, labeling it as anti-teacher.
According to a state education official, the advisory requires the approval of the higher education department for convening meetings of the executive council, court, senate, syndicate, or any gathering aimed at making significant, important, or policy decisions.
JUTA general secretary Parthapratim Roy expressed concerns that such a measure would hinder the daily academic and administrative operations, leading to a standstill in the functioning of higher educational institutions. Roy emphasised the need for the government to retract this decision promptly.
Roy slammed the government for its contradictory actions, criticising Governor CV Ananda Bose for the impasse in state universities over the appointment of vice-chancellors while simultaneously implementing anti-teacher policies.
“Such a move will make it impossible to even conduct daily academic/administrative activities and will lead to a stalemate in functioning of higher educational institutions. We ask the government to immediately take it back,” Roy said.
“On the one hand this government is criticising the governor CV Ananda Bose and blames him for the impasse in state universities over vice-chancellor appointment issues, on the other they are not doing anything better by adopting anti-teacher steps,” Roy added.
He warned that if the state government does not revoke the decision within a week, the organisations will jointly launch a movement in protest.
