The visit comes at a time when the university teachers are agitating against the Centre's autonomy scheme.
Amid the protest by students and teachers, officials from the University Grants Commission (UGC) visited Delhi University's St Stephen's College on Thursday in connection with its request for autonomy. The visit comes at a time when the university teachers are agitating against the Centre's autonomy scheme.
The UGC Committee, chaired by former Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad University Professor R Harshe, has been set up to examine applications from colleges for the grant of autonomous status. Prior to the visit, 42 permanent teachers from St Stephen's had written to the UGC to reconsider the autonomy application.
Alleging that the principal did not allow the senior faculty members to attend the meeting, a section of teachers held protest at the college gate. Afterwards, the committee invited all the permanent teachers, students and all karamcharis for the meeting. "We highlighted the main grounds of opposition as enunciated in the representation. Various aspects of financial and administrative mis-governance as well as victimisation and harassment of students and teachers were explained and the points submitted in writing. The students and karamcharis also expressed their grievances and opposed autonomy move," said Nandita Narain, president of college's staff association.
"With the nearly unanimous rejection of the grant of autonomy by the stakeholders, it is expected that the committee will give a report not recommending the grant of autonomous status to St. Stephen's College," she said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of teachers led-by Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and students held a protest. "The entire university community demonstrated its united opposition to fragmentation and privatisation of DU through Graded Autonomy and autonomous colleges, leading to self-financing courses, fee hike, autocratic management, precarious service conditions of employees and decline in academic standards," said DUTA president, Rajib Ray.
The governing body of St Stephen's had in-principle agreed to apply for autonomy during an emergent meeting in February, last year.
RECONSIDER
- Around 42 permanent teachers from St Stephen’s had written to the UGC to reconsider the autonomy application.
- Alleging that the principal did not allow the senior faculty members to attend the meeting, a section of teachers held protest at the college gate.
- Hundreds of teachers led by DUTA held the protest
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