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University teachers protest uniform leave order, seek review
Till now, the state universities were following the leave calendar issued in January. However, the governor’s secretariat issued a fresh order on May 16, directing the implementation of the new calendar, according to which summer vacations would begin from June 1, against the original plan of May 21.
RANCHI: Faculty members of the nine state universities in Jharkhand are up in arms against the order of the governor’s secretariat, directing the institutions to follow the uniform leave calendar from June 1, 2023, that curtails the summer vacation by 10 days besides decreasing the number of holidays on other counts.
Till now, the state universities were following the leave calendar issued in January. However, the governor’s secretariat issued a fresh order on May 16, directing the implementation of the new calendar, according to which summer vacations would begin from June 1, against the original plan of May 21.
The decision has not gone down well with the faculty members of colleges and universities, and they have hit the streets seeking a review on it.
“The new order seems to be arbitrary without consulting the representative of teachers. The order was issued five days before summer vacation was to begin. The decision is said to have been taken to bring uniformity in leaves with the state government employees, which is not right. Vacations of universities and high courts have always been different from the state government. We have petitioned the concerned authorities in Raj Bhawan for an appointment with the governor. We will decide our future course accordingly,” said Ashok Nag, faculty member of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University (SPMU), Ranchi.
The faculty members have argued that there was no need to curtail the vacation as they already have an above-par academic calendar as per the UGC guidelines.
“The UGC guidelines adopted by the state government mandate an academic calendar of around 18 days. Almost all state universities in the state have an academic calendar of around 220 days. And if the new order wants us to follow the calendar as done for the state government employees, then we are at a disadvantage because we work on Saturdays as well. The state government has 52 leaves because Saturday is off for them. We are also having a much lesser number of earned and casual leaves as compared to the state government. The governor should reconsider the decision,” said Professor Jyoti Prakash, Ranchi University.
Professor Abhay Singh, general secretary of ABRSM, SPMU, said the summer vacations should not be seen as leave for faculty members and students.
“It is the time when the faculty members go for some research and attend seminars and conferences. Even students use this time for internships and present reports, especially those enrolled in vocational courses,” Singh said.
Mukulesh Chandra Narain, OSD (judicial), Governor, who has issued the new order refused to comment on the issue stating he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Principal secretary to the governor, Nitin Madan Kulkarni, said he was not aware of any representation given to Raj Bhawan over the issue. “It hasn’t come to me. We were busy with the President’s visit. If anyone from the universities needs an appointment, they need to approach the ADC. The governor would take a call depending on the application,” he said.
