Visiting faculty of JJ Architecture College upset about not being paid for a year

Visiting faculty at JJ College of Architecture protest non-payment for a year and potential discontinuation, urging resolution by February 28, 2025.

MUMBAI: Visiting faculty members of JJ College of Architecture are distressed about non-payment of their remuneration for a year and reports that appointments will not be made for the next academic year. In a letter to principal Rajiv Mishra, over 50 practising architects from the faculty have expressed their anguish.

Visiting faculty of JJ Architecture College upset about not being paid for a year

The letter points out the worth of the faculty which comprises professional architects, technical experts, earlier full-time faculty and “alumni of good standing”, whose value addition to the course is appreciated by students. Talking about the lack of remuneration since January 2024, it adds that despite assurances that matters would be resolved soon, nothing had been forthcoming.

“Even so, when the new term started in November 2024, we continued teaching in good faith, and for the benefit of our students, even without the usual appointment letter for the current term,” continues the letter. “Now we are informed by the principal that no further appointments of visiting faculty are possible because of bureaucratic and financial differences between the University and the state government. We have been informed that an audit inquiry has mentioned that grants to manage the college do not include remuneration of the visiting faculty.”

Visiting faculty members have conveyed that they will, for the present, continue teaching under protest, as they are in the middle of a term and would not want their students to suffer. “We also give notice that, if matters are not suitably resolved by February 28th 2025, we shall be free to take further appropriate steps to seek a just resolution,” the letter concludes.

The college currently has around 54 visiting faculty members and seven full-time faculty. “This is the minimum standard of architectural education, and visiting faculty is an important component,” Mishra told HT. “We have to maintain the 1:10 ratio of staff to students, and also bring in industry knowledge and practice of the profession.”

Visiting professor and practising architect Aditi Gupte told HT it was “sad” that they had not been paid for a year and that visiting faculty were to be discontinued. “It is a prestigious college, and the merit holders and top rankers’ study here,” she said.

Senior architect Shirish Sukhatme, who has been part of the visiting faculty for the last 43 years, said that JJ College had been ignored for the past 25 to 30 years. “The college is supposed to have one teacher per 10 students,” he said. “We require 54 visiting staff, of which seven are full-timers. If we withdraw, the college will not be able to teach.”

Sukhatme said the advantage of visiting staff was imparting practical knowledge. A final-year student of the college agreed. “The visiting faculty is on the field and thus explains projects we are working on much better,” she said. “Be it construction or interior designing studios, the professors give solution-based answers. We also get help in finding internship opportunities and jobs.”

Mishra, however, said there had been no decision to discontinue visiting faculty. “They have not been paid for the last one year by the University of Mumbai (MU), which had zero budget for the college,” he said. “There was an issue between MU and the college related to the assessment of the grant, but it was resolved later.”

Essentially, there was an objection letter from the audit which said that all the grants were used for paying the visiting faculty. “The principal accountant general’s office said the salary grant could not be used for visiting faculty,” said Mishra. “A GR from 1999 was used to make this point. The letter by the visiting faculty has now been sent to MU. The matter is being resolved between the state government and the university.”