The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Friday terminated the contracts of 25 faculty members, a week after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi cut down its MPhil and PhD seats. The teachers, who were employed on contract basis, were informed through a letter that their tenure would end on March 31. The letter stated that the centres in which the teachers were engaged had not been granted extension by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and hence their contracts would be terminated on March 31. The letter has been served to teachers from four centres — Centre of Excellence for Human Rights Education, School of Law, Rights and Constitutional Governance, Advance Centre for Women’s Studies and Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policies — which were funded by the UGC for five years. The move has come as a shock to the faculty members as well as students. “I am angry as well as confused over why this has happened,” said one teacher who has received the letter. “The letter has come only a week before term ends. That is not enough time,” said another. Some of the teachers claimed ‘foul play’ behind the decision as they were trying to form a teachers’ association. However, the management has maintained that the decision was purely on the grounds of the institute’s declining financial health.“The institute is going through a deficit of Rs 5.11 crore. In the past one year, the UGC hasn’t released any funds and the institute is in no position to continue the centres on its own,” said S Parasuraman, Director, TISS. “We have constantly corresponded with the UGC for extension, but it is yet to come through. If we get the extension, the teachers will be re-appointed,” he said, adding that no particular teacher was targeted. “The institute has nothing against a teachers’ union. It (the decision) is purely because the institute doesn’t have enough funds,” said Parasuraman. Meanwhile, one of the faculty members whose contract was terminated said that TISS was being “targeted by the central government for promoting critical thinking”. “A more pertinent question is why is the UGC not releasing funds for these centres, which are important. Earlier, the new UGC norms affected the seat count in JNU. Now, TISS is being targeted,” she said. Over the past one year, the TISS has drawn attention over similar issues. Last year, the institute refused to extend the tenure of two teachers, drawing flak from students, alumni and fellow professors. One of the teachers, Sanober Keshwar, had then told The Indian Express that students and teachers who promoted “critical thinking were considered a threat” by the institute. She had also said that there was increased vigilance over educational institutes. Last month, the director had also written to students asking them to stay away from ‘JNU-like’ disruptions on campus.
