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Contracts of 115 TISS staff members extended till March 2025
TISS extends contracts of 115 staff till March 2025 after student demand, while seeking a sustainable model for future staffing and funding.
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Mumbai: The services of the 115 teaching and non-teaching staff at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), funded by Tata Education Trust (TET), have been provided with a contract extension till March 31, 2025. The contracts were set to end on December 31.
TISS had terminated the contracts of 55 faculty members and 60 non-teaching staff at four of its campuses on June 28. The termination letters stated that the contracts would not be renewed and that their services would end on June 30.
However, after students and staff pointed out that many of the contracted teachers were working on various projects and also conducting classes across courses, TET decided to fund the 115 staffers till December 31.
On November 30, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student organisation at TISS, wrote a letter to the administration demanding a clarification on the staff service. On Monday, TISS clarified that the contract of TET staff will be continued till the end of March 2025.
While it welcomed the temporary contract extension, PSF stated that a permanent solution is necessary and urged the administration to devise a long-term plan.
“We want to continue the association with these staff,” said a TISS official. “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. We are also planning to have a meeting with TET for further association with the institute.”
However, TISS is also expecting the contracted staff members to be proactive in suggesting ways for the institute to receive funding. “We are expecting ideation on new research areas as well as the courses that will help the institution become financially self-sustainable,” said a senior TISS official.
