WB Uni teachers up in arms over disappearing autonomy

Teacher associations have declared a mass protest on April 19. Representational Pic

Twelve college and university teacher associations have expressed concern over the functioning of state-run higher educational institutes in West Bengal and the role of both the state government and governor on the issue. The 12 associations objected to the “advisory” sent by the higher education department to keep the department in the loop about every single policy meeting as well as the “unilateral” report card sought by the governor, general secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) Partha Pratim Roy told the media on Saturday.

The teacher bodies said, “For the restoration of academic sanity and democratic environment within campuses against the powers that are trying their best to destroy the same, we will take protest initiatives on April 19 in all colleges and universities of West Bengal.” The state government in an advisory earlier this month had made it mandatory for state-aided, state-run universities to intimate the higher education department about any meeting of EC, Senate, Syndicate or Court—all high-level decision-making autonomous bodies of the institutes concerned.

The issue to have permanent VCs in 31 state universities is currently pending before the Supreme Court which had asked the governor, state and UGC to form their own search committees and submit the lists to it. A higher education official said the concern about the advisory by teacher bodies are unfounded as the government only wanted to be apprised about some of the meetings without influencing their decision and autonomy.

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