JNUTA demands rollback of academic calendar, cites administrative overreach at JNU

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) has condemned the newly released academic calendar for the 2025-26 year, calling it "bizarre" and "irrational". In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the JNUTA demanded its immediate withdrawal and restoration of the university's traditional calendar, citing concerns over what it described as arbitrary and punitive administrative practices.

There was no official response available from the JNU administration regarding the JNUTA's memorandum. The academic calendar posted on the JNU website reflects unexplained changes that significantly alter the semester durations compared to the previous year, said the JNUTA.

The monsoon semester has been extended to over five months (July 9 to December 24, 2025), while the winter semester has been curtailed to less than four and a half months (January 16 to May 26, 2026). The JNUTA argues the academic workload remains consistent across semesters and there is no justifiable reason for the discrepancy.

"This calendar is a product of some bizarre academic logic unfathomable to ordinary mortals," the statement reads. The JNUTA contends that the alterations seem designed not to optimize academic planning but rather to curtail faculty vacation periods and disrupt research activity.

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"Deep pain and disappointment, expressed JNUTA"

In a separate but related memorandum addressed to Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, the JNUTA expressed "deep pain and disappointment" over a series of what it calls "systemic assaults" on the institutional norms and faculty dignity.

The memorandum outlines a litany of grievances, including arbitrary denial of promotions, non-transparent probation confirmations, the erosion of gender and social justice mechanisms, and violations of statutory norms in decision-making.

Notably, the JNUTA highlighted the troubling shift away from the long-standing academic calendar pattern that began on July 22 and January 6 for the monsoon and winter semesters, respectively. The new calendar, they argue, was neither discussed nor approved by statutory bodies such as the Academic and Executive Councils.

The teachers' body also criticized the continuing use of online statutory meetings and what it described as a broader "policy of pick and choose" that has led to faculty demoralisation, stalled career progression and a breakdown in administrative transparency.

The JNUTA appealed to the vice chancellor to restore the university's academic integrity and statutory procedures. "All we are seeking from you is that you discharge your responsibility by the judicious use of your powers," the memorandum concludes.