JNUTA opposes JNU recruitment drive, demands freeze on teaching, non-teaching posts

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) has demanded an immediate halt to all ongoing recruitment at the university. The association has alleged procedural violations in faculty appointments and has called for an independent inquiry into recruitments made since 2022.

In a statement issued today, the teachers' association said it had learnt from the final and provisional lists of shortlisted and non-shortlisted candidates displayed on the JNU website that the university had begun recruitment under Advertisement No. RC/75/2026 on August 14.

JNUTA further alleged that the recruitment process is underway despite concerns raised in a recent investigation by The Reporters' Collective (TRC), which, according to the association, was based on university documents, Right to Information (RTI) records, and dissent notes of the Executive Council.

The association believes that university administration had violated UGC regulations and statutory procedures, including the constitution of expert panels and appointment of deans and chairpersons. The letter also mentions that the concerns of elected teachers' representatives in the Executive Council had been disregarded.

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JNUTA demands immediate freeze on hiring

The association claimed that appointments made since 2022 had been "tainted and suspect" and demanded an immediate freeze on all teaching and non-teaching recruitment. It also criticised the Vice-Chancellor's response to allegations, saying that concerns raised in the TRC report had not been adequately addressed.

It alleged that candidates who had initially been flagged as ineligible by screening committees were subsequently included in the shortlisted pool and selected.

JNUTA further alleged irregularities and favoritism in faculty promotions, claiming that some teachers had been waiting for promotions for several years. It accused the administration of delaying or rejecting promotions and called for greater transparency in the Career Advancement Scheme.

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The teachers' association said it would approach the Ministry of Education seeking the removal of the vice-chancellor's recruitment powers and the removal of the vice-chancellor and the director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) from their posts.

JNUTA also called for a time-bound visitorial or vigilance inquiry into all faculty appointments and said an independent inquiry was necessary to establish whether the allegations of procedural violations, corruption, and nepotism were valid.

'Scrap NTA'

Separately, the association demanded that the National Testing Agency (NTA) be scrapped, citing what it described as repeated failures and leaks in centralised entrance examinations.

JNUTA alleged that NTA's functioning had undermined confidence in the entrance examination system and called for the reinstatement of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Examination (JNUEE).

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The association argued that individual universities conducting their own entrance examination would strengthen institutional autonomy and reduce dependence on a centralised testing system. The statement was signed by JNUTA president Syed Akhtar Husain and secretary Avinash Kumar.