Mandatory attendance for JNU faculty approved
NEW DELHI: Despite its extended tussle with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) over the compulsory attendance of faculty members, the varsity administration on Thursday held its 275th Executive Council (EC) Meeting, where it was decided to introduce attendance for all regular faculty members of the University.
According to a press statement issued by the JNU Registrar, “it (the decision of compulsory attendance for faculty members) is in conformity with the recent resolution of the JNU’S Academic Council and the ‘UGC Regulations’ on minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education, 2018.”
Sona Jharia Minz, member, JNUTA, said, “The administration anyway does not consult us. This is an autocratic decision. On August 20, we had
opposed this idea and still the EC gave it a go ahead,”
Apart from taking a decision on the compulsory attendance for teachers, JNU has also rechristened its School of Management and Entrepreneurship as ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship.’
The move is a tribute to the late former Prime Minister, who passed away on August 16.
Among the other major decisions, the EC also approved to adopt the central government’s decision under Seventh Central Pay Commission for issuing a lifetime valid card under the CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) for its retired employees or families
on pension.
Moreover, the EC has decided to apply for funding from Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA), under the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s new funding scheme for creating state-ofthe-art research infrastructure, additional hostel accommodation and student facilities.
Earlier, JNUTA secretary Sudhir Sutar had said, “It will
leave the university indebted for life...this is an attempt at back door privatisation of the institution. JNU has been a great experiment for the last several years, where people from diverse backgrounds can get quality education for very
little money.”