Unanimous resolutions passed by the Executive Committee at its emergent meeting held on October 26, 2012 at 11:00 AM

This emergent meeting of the Executive Committee of AMU Teachers’ Association considered the following:   1. DUTA’s ongoing indefinite hunger strike and agitation.  2. Letter No. 531/LD/Reg. dated 25.10.2012 conveying the AMU  Administration’s response to the AMUTA General Body Resolutions dated  03.10.2012.  3. Teachers’ long standing demands at AMU.  4. Issues arising out of insistence on NEET .  

The following resolutions were passed:

     1. We unequivocally support the issues and demands raised by DUTA in its ongoing agitation against the changes being brought about in higher  education without proper discussion and debate. We pledge our commitment to  the fight of the DUTA for the rights of teachers and express our solidarity  with their struggle and our assurance to stand shoulder by shoulder with  them in all endeavors for the betterment of education and teaching.

       2. *(a) *Considered the letter of the University administration  dated 25.10.2012 in reply to our letter dated 4.10.2012 and pointed out  that a response that took all of three weeks, exemplifies the pace of work  in the central offices. The Executive Committee would like to point out  that using expressions such as *‘…notification shall not be withdrawn…’  and ‘…AMUTA is advised not to be an impediment in proper utilization of 40  hours/ week prescribed’*, needlessly and unnecessarily raises the pitch,  becomes polemical and, thus creates an issue  out of a non-issue. The teachers would like to point out that from the first day of the arrival of  the present Vice-Chancellor; the teachers have been publicly and privately,  on moral and ethical grounds, supporting the effort to improve the academic  functioning of the University that includes the effort to be present in  their Departments voluntarily, even beyond the hours suggested by UGC.  The assertion in the letter of the administration that *“…the VC has received numerous complaints from students that teachers are not available for consultation…”* needs to be concretised and made specific. We therefore request that, instead of a vague general allegation, we should be given specific instances of teachers not being available for consultation, so that we may help in the effort of making them accessible. In the resolution of 3.10.2012, it was mentioned that teachers have notified two periods per day in the publicly available time table. We  had however, pointed out that it will not serve the intended purpose as either we are already available or that these extra two periods shall restrict the time for research and self-study of teachers, in a forty hours’ work week. Our doubt about the usefulness of this exercise is supported by the fact that till date teachers are complaining of non-utilization of consultation periods by students. We reiterate that we are all for modernization and for inculcating twenty-first century skills in the spirit of the comment of a teacher in the public meeting with the VC that the forty hours’ work week was suggested by UGC not for regimental rigidity but for academic flexibility.  However, the V.C.’s mention of Mohammad Ali Clay being his ideal holds hopes for the future, as the earlier Cassius Clay was one of the foremost conscientious dissenters of the Vietnam War, who refused to be cowed down and intimidated and preferred to give up his title and  freedom for the values he held dear. We therefore request that, the Vice-Chancellor may kindly look into our resolution again, we are sure, he would find that we are not confrontationists. We hope he would appreciate the importance of infrastructure facilities and, the role his direct interaction with individual teachers can play for better and improved functioning of academics and the University.    *(b) *Property return is not part of our service conditions as per existing law and the Association is not willing to succumb to threats over nonexistent apprehensions, the original circular of the MHRD was specific about Group A and B Officers and, teachers are not Officers, is an issue that is settled. The fact that a very large number of teachers have declared their returns is neither here nor there, as sullen and resentful compliance of an unnecessary and unjust law is not desirable for a healthy atmosphere in the University. We would very respectfully  point out that if the Vigilance wing of the MHRD initiates action against those that have not submitted their returns, then it would perforce have to open the cases against named individuals of the previous VC’s administration, that would be a very welcome development indeed.

    3. The AMUTA has submitted 15 requests (such as merger of EL/DL, Travel Grant, License fee, Statute 61(3)(k) etc) to the University administration that were assured to be accepted very soon. We would like to know if there is any reason for a complete lack of effort towards solving teachers’ issues and concerns. We hope it is not deliberate and we would not have wait for another month for a response.

      4. We reject the NEET and ask the University administration to safeguard the interests of the institution by getting it rejected from all the University authorities. We would like to point out that the matter has already been considerably delayed and the A.C. meeting should have  been convened much earlier. It may also be noted that regional and local aspirations are defeated by holding a single National Test for a particular course. This single test benefits only the elite class and closes a window of opportunity to the depressed sections of society. It also contradicts the Central Government efforts towards opening of Central Universities and centrally funded institutions all over the country and in every State to cater to regional requirements. It can also be asked why recruitment to posts in various government agencies like the Railways and the Armed Forces are held in different parts of the country, if not to offer an opportunity to otherwise excluded sections for a better life.

    *We therefore resolve that a General Body meeting shall be held on November 07, 2012 at 6:30 P.M. at the Staff Club. (Notice shall be issued separately). *

        (S. Mustafa Zaidi)

S. Mustafa Zaidi

 Hony. Secretary

 Teaching Staff Club, AMU, Aligarh, 202002

 0571-3203520 (O); 0571-2720011 (R); 09411802364 (M)

 Email: secretaryamuta@gmail.com

 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AMUTeachers

 Blog: http://www.secretaryamuta.blogspot.com/

 

AMU Teachers' Association Resolutions on Workload of teachers & Asset declaration

Dear all ASAK,

A word of apology for not posting these earlier:  We had believed that we can keep the differences in perception between the new VC and ourselves on certain issues to be sorted out within the University system, as making them public sometimes leads to misconceptions and unnecessary kite flying on possible motives by quite well meaning people who are not in Aligarh. However, the first  stone was cast by persons who should have known better and a few prickly comments emerged, the AMUTA kept quiet as the AMU as an institution  is much above scoring of debating points. Despite this, recent events have exhibited some alarming patterns that need to be studied and addressed properly; there is apparently an extra constitutional/extra statutory influence at work in important offices that is especially concerned with putting teachers in their places or showing them their auqat . The first step to counter this trend has to be to place our resolutions before the AMU community and try to explain our concerns, as well as our apprehensions and why they matter and, why they should be taken seriously.

 

Mustafa Zaidi

 

 

  MUSLIM UNIVERSITY TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION, ALIGARH

S. Mustafa Zaidi Hony. Secretary

Teaching Staff Club, AMU, Aligarh, 202002             0571-3203520      (O);             0571-2720011       (R);            09411802364       (M) Email: secretaryamuta@gmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AMUTeachers Blog: http://www.secretaryamuta.blogspot.com

October 3, 2012

 

Unanimous resolutions passed by the General Body of AMU Teachers’ Association in its emergent meeting held on October 3, 2012 at 7:00 P.M. at the Staff Club.

 

1.      This emergent meeting of the General Body of AMU Teachers’ Association considered the circular regarding work load of teachers viz. two periods to be set aside everyday by each teacher for interaction with the students and the sharing of periods between teachers.  It was pointed out that teachers are always ready to accommodate student-teacher consultation as per the 40 hours’ work week prescribed by UGC and even beyond; however it should not be forced upon teachers but should be voluntary and suggestive. It may also be noted that this notification impinges on the jurisdiction of the Board of Studies. It was therefore resolved that although almost all teachers have made provisions for the same, it is still an imposed time table that is being resented in general and should be withdrawn. The University administration should also follow the UGC guidelines in letter and spirit regarding provision of basic space and infrastructure facilities for individual teachers that should at least be at par with administrative staff. The time suggested for interaction should be realistic by taking into account that many teachers are already involved in engaging 24-25 periods/week where this shall add another 12, what happens then to the UGC recommended 40 hour work week and its suggested distribution. If this is not properly taken care of, very soon the implementation of students teacher interaction daily for two hours shall become a dream again. Regarding sharing of periods it was resolved that Lab./Project/Seminar classes are assigned as per UGC/AICTE /MCI norms that include optimum class size per teacher and therefore are in order.

 

2.      The Office Memo regarding asset declaration was discussed and it was resolved that teachers have no ethical or moral problems for its implementation however the original notification No. C.13011/70/2006-Vig. Dated 29.11.2006 by the Vigilance Secretary, MHRD was only for “Group-A & B officers occupying sensitive posts dealing with administrative and financial matters”. The inclusion of faculty is an afterthought of 1^st August, 2012, it needs to be seen whether this exercise shall yield the  intended results. It was pointed out that till date we are not recognized as Government servants nor are we given the privileges of Government servants such as exemption from income tax of pensionary benefits, or of privileges available as a matter of right to government servants.

            It was resolved that Central Civil Service(CCS) rules cannot be implemented in Universities as our service conditions are different,  for example, we can publicly criticize and express dissent with policies of the Government and are permitted to join/contest elections without resigning from our service. Moreover no ordinary teacher occupies a sensitive administrative or financial post as mentioned in the original Office Memo. Officers of the University are defined in the University Statutes where only one category is from teachers, thus, this whole exercise may be an exercise in futility.

            Additionally, there seems to be no urgency for use of Section 19(3) of the University Act, the Academic Council and the Executive Council should have been allowed to take a decision in normal course. Therefore, we resolve to request that the Office Memo of the MHRD may be sent for legal opinion in so far as it concerns “faculty” before being brought before the University authorities, i.e., the Academic Council and Executive Council that may reject it, therefore, pending their rejection or approval the deadline may be suitably extended.

We condemn the letter of MHRD dated August 01, 2012 (the fourth in the series) that adds ‘faculty’. The General Body authorizes the Executive Committee of AMUTA to take up the matter with the MHRD in collaboration with FEDCUTA and press for its withdrawal, as this seems to be an attempt at curbing our freedom of expression through implementing CCS rule 18 as an anti-corruption measure to ultimately extend CCS rules to stop free speech on campuses.

 

3.      We express satisfaction that the long pending issue of merger of EL/DL for teachers is being brought before the Academic Council in its next meeting and hope that at long last this shall be implemented w.e.f. the due date, i.e., from the date of the V Pay Commission.

 

4.      We again request that a meeting for extending benefits under Statute 61(3)k should be held soon so that teachers get their due benefits without any further delay.

 

(S. Mustafa Zaidi)