Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has not renewed the contracts of over 100 teaching and non-teaching staff, some professors claimed, drawing harsh criticism from teachers and students.
The contracts of teaching and non-teaching staff at four TISS campuses (Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati) were due to end on June 30, some faculty members said on condition of anonymity on Sunday.
Most of them worked in TISS campuses other than Mumbai, they said.
A faculty member said these contracts had been awarded for teaching and non-teaching staff out of grants received from Tata Trust.
"For the past 10 to 15 years we have been receiving grants to employ additional faculty to teach various courses. That funding was going to be renewed. The no-cost extension and renewal of the grant does not appear to have occurred in a timely manner," the person said. .
"On June 28 we were informed about non-renewal of contracts. We told TISS management not to issue the letters (regarding non-renewal of contracts) until we hear from Tata Trust. Let us try to find a solution. But our call was not accepted," said the professor.
Some of the faculty members were even part of the interview process that selects candidates for academic sessions of various courses last month, the person said.
"Last month we asked the administration about the status of the funding and they told us there was no reason to worry and suddenly notices appeared that the contracts had not been renewed due to lack of funds. This is pure mismanagement on the part of the administration, who could not foresee what would come," said the professor.
Another faculty member said contracts typically end and faculty continue working. In the past, termination of contracts was not notified.
"It appears this has been done deliberately," he said.
Another faculty member said: "The outlook here is bad. Everyone is in shock."
The institute's student body said in a statement on Saturday that the TISS administration should immediately revoke the "dismissal" of the faculty and staff members.
"It is completely a failure of the current leadership of the TISS administration in managing the institute and the apathy of the BJP-led Union government," the Progressive Students Forum said.
The "mass layoff" will create "shortage" of teaching and non-teaching staff, the forum stated.
The elimination of 100 such positions will have a direct impact on the future of students enrolling at the institute and could also allow for politically motivated appointments in the near future, he said.
"The BJP-led central government and the current TISS administration are directly responsible for taking away the livelihood of nearly a hundred employees and also putting the future of their students at risk," the forum stated.
"The recent mistakes made by the Ministry of Education in conducting national entrance examinations only add to the incompetence of the central government," he charged.
The contracts of teaching and non-teaching staff at four TISS campuses (Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati) were due to end on June 30, some faculty members said on condition of anonymity on Sunday.
Most of them worked in TISS campuses other than Mumbai, they said.
A faculty member said these contracts had been awarded for teaching and non-teaching staff out of grants received from Tata Trust.
"For the past 10 to 15 years we have been receiving grants to employ additional faculty to teach various courses. That funding was going to be renewed. The no-cost extension and renewal of the grant does not appear to have occurred in a timely manner," the person said. .
"On June 28 we were informed about non-renewal of contracts. We told TISS management not to issue the letters (regarding non-renewal of contracts) until we hear from Tata Trust. Let us try to find a solution. But our call was not accepted," said the professor.
Some of the faculty members were even part of the interview process that selects candidates for academic sessions of various courses last month, the person said.
"Last month we asked the administration about the status of the funding and they told us there was no reason to worry and suddenly notices appeared that the contracts had not been renewed due to lack of funds. This is pure mismanagement on the part of the administration, who could not foresee what would come," said the professor.
Another faculty member said contracts typically end and faculty continue working. In the past, termination of contracts was not notified.
"It appears this has been done deliberately," he said.
Another faculty member said: "The outlook here is bad. Everyone is in shock."
The institute's student body said in a statement on Saturday that the TISS administration should immediately revoke the "dismissal" of the faculty and staff members.
"It is completely a failure of the current leadership of the TISS administration in managing the institute and the apathy of the BJP-led Union government," the Progressive Students Forum said.
The "mass layoff" will create "shortage" of teaching and non-teaching staff, the forum stated.
The elimination of 100 such positions will have a direct impact on the future of students enrolling at the institute and could also allow for politically motivated appointments in the near future, he said.
"The BJP-led central government and the current TISS administration are directly responsible for taking away the livelihood of nearly a hundred employees and also putting the future of their students at risk," the forum stated.
"The recent mistakes made by the Ministry of Education in conducting national entrance examinations only add to the incompetence of the central government," he charged.
