an appeal to students

HINDU COLLEGE
STAFF ASSOCIATION

26 March 2015

AN APPEAL TO THE DELHI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO JOIN THE TEACHER’S STRUGGLE AGAINST THE NEFARIOUS DESIGN OF THE GOVERNING BODY TO DESTROY THE ACADEMICS IN THE COLLEGE

Dear Students,
The communication gap between teachers and students, though a common feature, is detrimental to the creation of a healthy democratic academic tradition. The Staff Association of Hindu College has been opposing the misdeeds and authoritarian, arbitrary acts of the Governing Body of the college, headed by SNP Punj.

Friends, Staff Council of a college is a statutory body. All the important decisions have to be discussed in the Staff Council. But the present GB consisting of a majority of businessmen and security agents, has been secretly taking decisions without the knowledge of the Council. The misdeeds of the GB include arbitrarily scrapping of ECA and Sport admissions, the legitimate rights of the students.

. Friends, for no reason, the GB of the college hiked the fee of the students by Rs. 4000 without taking Staff Council into confidence and before that it had enhanced the hostel fee by almost 100%. There is a student welfare fund collected from the students. This fund is meant for students’ welfare. It is to be noted that these businessmen occupy the position in the GB of the college as representatives of the Hindu College trust by virtue of statutory obligation of contributing 5% of the college expenses. According to the information availed by RTI, the arrears of trust contribution have gone up to approximately Rs. 1.25 crore in the last fifteen years. The GB has been arbitrarily diverting this fund to make up its deficit.

The UGC gave a fund for girls’ hostel about 10 years ago but it hurriedly planned to construct the hostel when the fund was to about to lapse without completing the formalities of taking environmental and other clearances. 7 teachers, using their constitutional, fundamental right to freedom of thought and expression wrote about these irregularities to the Lt Governor of Delhi who was supposed to lay the foundation stone. The 7 teachers have been punished by deducting two increments and debarred from holding administrative positions that include participation in the various committees of the staff council, the statutory body of the college. Services of two teachers have been terminated on flimsy grounds.

We thought it appropriate to communicate with our students as it is the teachers and students together constitute the academic community. Actions against the teachers directly affect the students as an authoritarian atmosphere is inimical to the growth of knowledge. 7 teachers are punished by the GB to create a sense of terror and fear among the students, karmcharis and teachers. But friends, the teacher needs to inculcate in students fearlessness and orient them to dare to stand up against injustice and the teacher must teach by example.

We appeal to our young friends, to join us in our struggle against injustice.

INQILAB ZINDABAD             STUDENTS-TEACHER-KARMCHARI UNITY ZINDABAD

Ish Mishra
President