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La Martinière College faces crisis as principal-officials standoff continues
Principal secretary Srivastava also raised questions about the appointment process, specifically regarding the principal and Bursar roles.
LUCKNOW Students of La Martinière College and their parents are quite concerned about the ongoing tussle between the college principal and government officials who serve on various college committees. Amid allegations and counter-allegations from both sides, the image of this iconic 178-year-old institution is getting tarnished with several letters going viral on social media.
For the first time since the events of 1857, the public commemoration service on the 223rd death anniversary of the college founder, Maj Gen Claude Martin, was cancelled due to “unexpected developments” in the college. This necessitated the “scaling down of the memorial service to a private service” of personal prayer.
Pleading anonymity, several parents expressed concern over the unpleasant developments that are unfolding and fear whether it will have an adverse impact on the academic atmosphere of the college. They want the issue to be resolved in the larger interest of the students.
In yet another development, after divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob’s letter, another senior official, principal secretary of Law and Legal Remembrancer for the U.P. government, Pramod Kumar Srivastava, who also serves as a trustee for Lucknow Martin Charities, has questioned the principal’s decision to go on leave without adhering to the conditions outlined in the rulebook. Notably, the principal has been on leave since September 10.
In response, principal McFarland stated that during his 12-year tenure, he had not taken any “extraordinary” leave. He clarified, “My decision to take extended leave is a response to an emergency situation that has arisen. Given the aspersions cast upon my character, it would not be in the best interest of the college’s dignity for me to remain physically present in the office, even for a few hours, while such accusations are levelled against me. I will abstain from being physically present in the office until these accusations are cleared.”
Principal secretary Srivastava also raised questions about the appointment process, specifically regarding the principal and Bursar roles. He asked why the head of the middle school had been entrusted with the principal’s responsibilities during his leave instead of the bursar.
To this, Principal McFarland explained that the bursar of the college is appointed by the trustees in an administrative capacity and is not responsible for overseeing academic matters related to the school’s functioning. Academic matters fall under the purview of the vice principal, who has also assumed the role of In-charge of the Senior School following the retirement of the vice-principal. Additionally, the vice principal serves as the head of the Middle School, a position approved by the LCG (Lucknow Charitable General Committee). McFarland asserted that she is qualified for this role.
The principal further stated that, as a responsible appointee of the trustees, he has established a temporary system to manage academics, residential facilities, and the estate during this emergency situation. Clear delineations of individual responsibilities have been outlined for each officer.
Regarding the authorisation to conduct examinations, principal McFarland said that the half-yearly examinations are scheduled to commence on September 15, 2023. The head of the middle school will oversee the entire process, which has been pre-arranged. It is customary for the heads of academic sections to manage tasks related to examinations within their respective areas.
In a letter dated September 8, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob pointed out that the current principal of La Martinière College’s tenure is set to end in December 2023. Despite her sending letters on this matter on February 2 and June 1 of this year, neither the college nor the committee responsible for its management has initiated the process of appointing a new principal.
