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Admin can’t hold talks with ‘non-recognised’ students’ union: JNU teachers
New Delhi
New Delhi
A section of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) teachers on Sunday said the administration is ready to have a dialogue with “elected” hostel representatives but not with the “non-recognised” students’ union in connection with the ongoing stand-off over the hike in hostel fees and a new hostel manual.
During a press conference held on Sunday by a group of teachers, JNU dean of students’ Umesh Kadam said the administration was yet to notify the JNU students’ union (JNUSU). “We have not notified the union because the election committee announced the results of the students’ union elections arbitrarily. The committee had submitted the result to the dean of students’ office in a sealed envelope when the high court had put a stay on its announcement. The envelope is still lying with me. Why should we talk to them when they are not notified? We will speak to the properly elected hostel representatives,” he said.
The Delhi high court had in September put a stay on announcement of the JNUSU election results after some students had filed a petition against the poll process. The stay was later revoked.
Student groups have been protesting for the past three weeks against changes to the hostel manual and a proposed hostel fee hike. Although the administration on Wednesday partially rolled back the fee for students from below poverty line families, students have been demanding a complete withdrawal of the new hostel manual.
JNUSU general secretary Satish Yadav said administration is trying to “insult” the mandate given by over 8000 JNU students. “We have been elected by the students after going through an electoral process. We are the representatives of students’ in the university and the administration should have a dialogue with us,” he said.
Among other teachers present at the press meet, was Vandana Mishra, an associate dean of the university, who was allegedly confined to her classroom for nearly 28 hours by members of the students’ union last week during their protest.
“They wanted me to accept the demands of the students’ union which I couldn’t have because it has not yet been notified. They wanted me to reject the hostel manual which I didn’t want to because it’s needed,” she said.
The teachers appealed to the students to resume their classes. “It is our appeal to students to resume classes. The semester-end exams are near and academic work has to be done,” Mishra said.
