No activities involving guest speaker: TISS students call it ‘infringement’ of rights
In January, the TISS administration issued a notice stating that it was reframing the existing guidelines to hold events, seminars, lectures, etc., on campus and until then all such activities are suspended, except fixed annual activities.
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The TISS administration, however, has denied students claims, stating that they have not received any statement from the union. File photoStudents of the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) in Mumbai have alleged that they are not allowed to conduct any extracurricular activities on campus that may involve inviting an external guest speaker. The Student Union (SU) has issued a statement titled — Infringement of Students’ Rights, even as the institute administration has refuted the claims.
In January, the TISS administration issued a notice stating that it was reframing the existing guidelines to hold events, seminars, lectures, etc., on campus and until then all such activities are suspended, except fixed annual activities.
One of the student members said, “Due to the reframing of guidelines, the institute administration has stopped all extra academic events involving guest lectures, which might include critical views regarding socio-political issues and the current regime. But there is no development in the work of reframing, causing confusion and frustration among students. Additionally, students are being inquired in person for expressing critical views on social media.”
Apart from calling the restrictions to be arbitrary, the SU in its official statement issued on Wednesday claimed, “The current environment in TISS is a complete violation of the student entitlement suggested by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which states that as democratic citizens, the students are entitled to freedom of thought and expression within and outside their institution.”
Demanding that the new guidelines should be prepared on priority, the statement also urges the administration to include student representatives in reframing them to make them student-centric.
The administration, however, has denied students claims, stating that they have not received any statement from the union.
A senior official from the administration said, “The guidelines are in the making. The restrictions, however, are not for all programmes but only those which are non-academic. If any department of the institute officially puts in a request to invite an acclaimed academician, it is always considered positively.”
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