St Stephen's College staff writes to MHRD, UGC against granting ‘Autonomy’

NEW DELHI, APRIL 30: The teachers of St Stephen's College, Delhi have come out in protest against the college Governing Body’s decision to apply for autonomous status to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Staff Association is alleging that the decision was taken in haste by the Governing Body and once granted ‘autonomous status’ it would give the management unbridled powers, including the freedom to design and run self-financing courses.

The College Staff Association has also endorsed the earlier letter sent by 42 (out of 56) permanent teachers to the Chairperson, UGC against granting autonomy to the college. The association has appealed to the UGC to enquire into the alleged issues pertaining to financial and administrative matters raised in the letter before considering the college application for autonomous status. “Failure to do so would put the future of this hundred-and-thirty-eight-year old premier public-funded educational institution in jeopardy,” reads the letter sent to UGC Chairperson.

Recently, as many as 42 teachers of the College had sent a letter to the UGC Chairperson alleging that St Stephen’s College has applied for the grant of autonomous status without any consultation with stakeholders such as teachers, non-teaching staff, and students, and ignoring serious objections raised by them.

The letter reads, “The decision to apply for autonomy was taken in a hurried manner in an emergency meeting of the Governing Body without any position paper on the matter provided to the members, and ignoring the dissent given by all four teacher representatives on the Body.”

The teachers have alleged that separation from the larger parent body of the Delhi University would make St Stephen’s College an unviable academic unit and lead to lowering of its academic standards.

In the past, a large number of faculty members, non-teaching staff, and students have had to file writ petitions to seek legal redressal against alleged arbitrary and dictatorial actions of the college administration. They are alleging that further autonomy for the management could be detrimental to the well-being of the college.

Nandita Narain, President, Staff Association, St. Stephen's College said, “The Staff Association expresses its shock and dismay that the Governing Body took a decision of this magnitude in an emergent meeting held on 25th February 2017, in a hurried, secretive and surreptitious manner, without any kind of consultation with students, teachers and non-teaching staff of the college.”