115 TISS faculty, staffers may get respite

TISS may extend the contracts of 115 staff set to end Dec 31, amid student concerns over academic impact, following earlier terminations.

MUMBAI: The services of the 115 teaching and non-teaching staff, which were to be terminated by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on December 31, may be extended for a month or two. This follows concerns raised by the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student organisation at TISS, which recently wrote to the teachers’ association as well as the TISS administration. The PSF pointed out that terminating the contracts of the faculty would adversely impact the students’ academic record.

115 TISS faculty, staffers may get respite

TISS had terminated the contracts of 55 faculty members and 60 non-teaching staff at four of its campuses on June 28, funded by the Tata Education Trust (TET). The termination letters stated that the contracts would not be renewed, and their services would end on June 30 this year. However, after students and teachers pointed out that many of these teachers were working on various projects and also conducting classes across courses, TET decided to fund the 115 staff till December 31.

Students from TISS’s Hyderabad, Guwahati and Tuljapur campuses, as well as schools and centres in Mumbai, had asked the institute to clarify what will happen after December 31. In its letter, the PSF states, “Without further clarity from the administration, we face an impending crisis where essential faculty may be lost, severely impacting our education. Since this situation first appeared in June-July, there has been a notable absence of official communication from the administration regarding the future of our teachers and staff, post December 31.”

The PSF sought answers from both the teachers’ union as well as the TISS administration. The letter addressed to the TISS Teachers Association (TISSTA) stated, “It is imperative that TISSTA as the union of teachers in TISS, address students in this matter. The lack of communication from both the administration and teachers has left students in a state of uncertainty.” The letter also asked TISSSTA to clarify whether they had received any update or decision from the administration regarding staff retention and funding.

In a statement issued on July 10, TISSTA said that these staff members had taken on full-time responsibilities at various campuses, schools and centres, similar to UGC-supported permanent positions. “These staff members have contributed significantly to academic programs, including teaching, conducting workshops, guiding dissertations, and participating in admissions processes,” it stated.

Meanwhile, a TISS official said, “A committee in the institute is working on a new, sustainable education model in the institute. With this, we are trying to continue the services of these staff members.” Apart from this, the officer also pointed out that with the available funding, the current service of 115 staff members could be extended by one or two months after December.