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using expressions such as *‘…notification shall not be withdrawn…’ and ‘…AMUTA is advised not to be an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/
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