Teacher Groups Criticize Bengal Governor’s Order Mandating Consent for Urgent Meetings

Several university teachers’ bodies in West Bengal have urged the higher education department to revoke its decision which mandates seeking consent from the department before convening urgent decision-making meetings in state universities that enjoy autonomy, stated a PTI report.

As many as 12 organizations have criticized the move, labeling it as anti-teacher. Some of the organizations have:

– Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA)

– Calcutta University Teachers’ Association

– Rabindra Bharati University Teachers’ Association

– West Bengal State University Teachers Associations

– Teachers of Presidency University

According to a state education official, the advisory requires the approval of the higher education department for convening meetings of the executive council, court, senate, syndicate, or any gathering aimed at making significant, important, or policy decisions.

JUTA General Secretary Parthapratim Roy expressed concerns that such a measure would hinder the daily academic and administrative operations, leading to a standstill in the functioning of higher educational institutions.

Roy emphasized the need for the government to retract this decision promptly.

Roy slammed the government for its contradictory actions, criticizing Governor CV Ananda Bose for the impasse in state universities over the appointment of vice-chancellors while simultaneously implementing anti-teacher policies.

“Such a move will make it impossible to even conduct daily academic/administrative activities and will lead to a stalemate in the functioning of higher educational institutions. We ask the government to immediately take it back,” Roy said.

“On the one hand this government is criticizing the governor CV Ananda Bose and blames him for the impasse in state universities over vice-chancellor appointment issues, on the other they are not doing anything better by adopting anti-teacher steps,” Roy added.

He warned that if the state government does not revoke the decision within a week, the organizations will jointly launch a movement in protest.