The president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) Dr DK Lobiyal talks
about issues concerning the university and its stakeholders in an interview with Ifrah Mufti. He contended that little has changed after Dr Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit joined as the new Vice Chancellor in 2022. Edited excerpts:
What changes have you seen in the university after the new V-C joined in 2022?
There has been no substantial change after the new Vice Chancellor joined the university. Everything has been almost the same, be it administrative actions or decision making etc. The only difference that I have found is that the new V-C keeps meeting all the stakeholders including us, in person. Her predecessor never took the initiative to meet any of us and listen to our issues.
What are the main issues concerning the teachers at JNU presently?
The most important issue is that of promotions. Teachers have been facing this issue for the past seven to eight years and there has been no solution to it as of now. Secondly, in the appointment of deans and chairpersons, the rotation process is not being followed. The JNU administration, unfortunately, does not follow a fair process of appointments. Thirdly, during the tenure of former Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, 48 faculty members were charge-sheeted as they had protested for a day. That case has been in the courts since then. The new Vice-Chancellor had promised to resolve this issue but nothing has happened till date.
How many teachers are waiting for promotions at the university?
We had done a survey in which it was reported that over 250 teachers have been waiting for their promotions for the past seven years. In this duration, the teachers must have got two to three promotions. The issue of not getting promotions has been persistent since 2016. I don’t know the reason why the university is failing to take up this issue seriously.
Why is the university delaying the elections for the JNU students’ union?
To the best of my knowledge, I believe that students of the JNU are very vocal when it comes to issues that are trending and need to be taken up. Unfortunately, the university administration does not want to listen to the honest words of the students, their protests and their voices against the administration or the government. I don’t see any other reason for not letting the elections happen on the campus.
Does the university need to work on any issues in terms of academics?
I believe that fund crunch is a major priority issue for our university. Introduction of new courses, buying science experimental instruments, books, spending time in laboratories etc needs a lot of money but since we don’t have enough funds, the academic culture suffers. Also, the democratic decision in running the academic culture is also missing from the university.