JNU teachers’ association protests university’s ‘failures’, march to administrative block

The JNUTA took out a march on Tuesday in protest against the seat cuts and other matters such as the alleged termination of certain staff, stalling of promotions, and other disciplinary actions taken by the administration.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) teachers may soon organise public lectures on “research methodology” as entrance exams to research courses at the institute will have questions on the topic according to University Grants Commission guidelines.

The march attended by almost 100 people, including members of the JNU Student Union (JNUSU) and other students, culminated at the administrative block of JNU. (Hindustan Times)

“We will conduct these public lectures because the entrance test is to have questions based on these topics. But many students have no clear idea what research methodology is supposed to be. Research methodology itself is quite a vast topic, with quantitative and qualitative methods. The lectures will look at research methodologies for social sciences,” said Pradeep Shinde, secretary of the JNU teachers association (JNUTA), which has been protesting the alleged research seat cuts.

The teachers alleged some departments have had zero admissions to research programmes at certain centres, and the teachers of these schools and centres are expected to hold a “khaali classroom lecture series,” which will feature topics on research methodologies as well. This is expected to begin around August 16.

Condemning what they called the “myriad failures of the JNU VC and his team in managing the affairs of the university,” the JNUTA took out a march on Tuesday in protest against the seat cuts and other matters such as the alleged termination of certain staff, stalling of promotions, and other disciplinary actions taken by the administration.

The march attended by almost 100 people, including members of the JNU Student Union (JNUSU) and other students, culminated at the administrative block of JNU.

The delegation led by Shinde was allegedly unable to meet the VC and claimed to have submitted the memo, listing their demands, to the Rector-I, Chintamani Mahapatra, instead.

“I was a student here at JNU in the 80s and have been a faculty here since the early 2000s. I have never seen a situation like this before, where the administration is unwilling to engage and negotiate,” said Surajit Mazumdar, a professor at JNU and member of the Executive Council.

HT’s attempts to contact the JNU VC went unanswered.