Teachers to resign from admin posts to protest decision

ST STEPHEN’S AUTONOMY ROW

TEACHERS OF St Stephen’s College have decided to “resign from all voluntary administrative positions” against the decision of its Governing Body (GB) seeking autonomous status for the college. The decision was taken at a staff association meeting which took place on Wednesday.

“The members of the staff association will register their protest by resigning from all voluntary administrative positions as staff advisers of students’ societies and members/conveners of committees,” the staff association said in a resolution.

They also reiterated that such a serious decision to make a college autonomous could not be taken without prior consultation.

“The staff association notes with dismay that a petition signed by more than 500 students and 30 teachers submitted to the Governing Body before the above-mentioned meeting, appealing to it to defer the decision to move an application for autonomous status until consultation and consensus is obtained, was disregarded. It demands that the Governing Body take back the decision to apply for autonomous status taken in a secretive and hurried manner without application of mind or consultationwithstake-holders. It reiterates that no such decision on a matter that could change the very character of college as a premier public-funded institution, providing high quality affordable education to diverse sections of society, can be taken without in-depth consultation and consensus within the college community of students, teachers and non-teaching employees,” the resolution read.

“We strongly condemn the threats meted out by the Principal to two teacher representatives on the Governing Body after its meeting, purportedly for giving their dissent on the issue of autonomous status for the college. It demands an immediate public and written apology from the Principal to the two teachers and an assurance that such intimidation will not be repeated,” it further alleged.

Forty-five out of about 50 permanent teachers (who are not on leave) also wrote to the principal asking him to convene an emergent staff council meeting “to discuss the role, functions and rights of teachers in view of some developments affecting the teaching-learning environment at the college”.