NEW DELHI: Days after the Dr BR Ambedkar University (AUD) sacked two senior professors, the teaching faculty and students’ organisations from across the city came forward to protest against the varsity’s move and express solidarity with the professors.
According to the teachers union, the two senior colleagues , Professor Salil Misra and Professor Asmita Kabra, have been made scapegoats for acting in their administrative capacities (as Pro VC and acting Registrar respectively), in helping implement a policy decision duly approved in 2018 by the Board of Management (BOM) of AUD for one-time absorption of contractual non-teaching staff.
Students’ Federation of India (SFI) highlighted how the vicious attack by the AUD is in line with the national crackdown on students everywhere.
While in the past the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA) has protested against the lack of a functional Internal Complaints Committee to fight against gender and caste harassment of the teachers, the university is today conveniently wielding the institutional tools to paint Prof. Kabra and Prof. Misra for misconduct which has no grounds, it stated. Meanwhile, AUDFA also condemned the decision of the BOM and University administration to remove the two professors.
“These two senior colleagues have been made scapegoats for acting in their administrative capacities, in helping implement a policy decision duly approved in 2018 by the BOM of AUD for one-time absorption of contractual non-teaching staff,” read the statement. AUDFA’s statement further read, “Both Prof. Salil Misra and Asmita Kabra are globally reputed academics.
However, they have been targeted unfairly since 2019 through repeated inquiries. The pendency of inquiries was used to deny them important opportunities for career progression. They have suffered immense trauma, mental harassment, and the financial burden of litigation and legal defence for five years.”
AAP is a proof that govts can run schools well: Kejriwal
The AAP dispensation in Delhi has proved that governments can not only manage schools but elevate them to a world-class level, says the party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal. He said that the country’s first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had dreamt of quality education for every child, and today, Delhi’s government schools are making that dream come true.
On the occasion of National Education Day, the former chief minister paid tributes to Azad. He recalled the Maulana’s vision of providing the best possible education to every child in the country. Kejriwal stated that this dream is being fulfilled by the AAP government in Delhi, which has demonstrated that the government can not only run government schools but also make them exceptional.
In a post on X, Kejriwal remarked that children from economically weaker backgrounds in Delhi are now passing competitive exams like IIT-JEE, and NEET and pursuing careers as doctors, engineers, and officers. What’s more, even the affluent are now choosing government schools over private institutions, he noted. The AAP chief stressed that education is the top priority of his government. “We firmly believe that education is integral to our ideology, as no country can progress without it.”