‘JNU teachers not invited to NAAC meet’

The NAAC peer review team held an interaction with the “faculty”, to which interestingly, the JNU faculty at large were not formally invited.

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION, in a statement

NEWDELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) has alleged that faculty members were formally not invited to a meeting with NAAC peer review team.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) conducted a three-day visit to the university recently.

JNUTA said that contrary to earlier practice, when all faculty members, deans and chairpersons were informed about the meeting with NAAC team, no one was formally informed about the Tuesday meeting.

“The NAAC peer review team purportedly held an interaction with the “faculty”, to which interestingly, the JNU faculty at large were not formally invited. No dean or chairperson was informed, and even the otherwise active CIS did not send any “bulkmail” to faculty members for the said interaction,” the teachers’ body said in a statement.

JNUTA president Ayesha Kidwai said all teachers get regular e-mails and notices about every event in the university. “But interestingly, there was no e-mail from the administration this time,” she said.

The JNUTA said it was wilful and malicious denial of an opportunity to faculty members, including members of JNUTA.

JNU registrar Pramod Kumar did not respond to text messages and phone calls.

“It demands that the university administration tender an explanation to the NAAC peer review team and the JNU com- munity for this ‘lapse’,” the teachers’ body said in their statement.

The JNUTA said that it was a systematic attempt to exclude JNUTA, and a bulk of JNU faculty, as well as JNUSU from interaction with the NAAC team.

“The wilful exclusion of the faculty is because the vice-chancellor and the administration was worried about being exposed to public if the NAAC team actually got to speak to us,” Kidwai said.

The JNUTA said that whatever grade JNU will get in this exercise is because of teachers’ and students’ hard work’.

JNU V-C M Jagadesh Kumar had tweeted that the NAAC team met all stakeholders and had a wide ranging discussions.