Teachers union writes to University of Mumbai, tells it to step up and fulfil moral duty to deliver comprehensive, uniform roadmap for reopening of colleges
Going by the university’s circular, individual colleges will have to secure permissions from local bodies to resume physical classes and create their own plans. File pic
A day after it issued guidelines for the reopening of affiliated colleges, the Mumbai University faced the heat for shrugging off responsibility by asking individual colleges to make their own decisions. The Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU) wrote to Vice-Chancellor Dr Suhas Pednekar and reached out to State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant. According to the teachers’ community, the varsity’s stand is against the state directive and puts students in danger.
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The Maharashtra government approved the reopening of colleges last week with 50 per cent attendance February 15 onwards. But, universities were told to create a roadmap based on guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and in consultation with the local administrative and disaster management bodies. On Friday, the Mumbai University issued a letter, telling individual colleges to take the required nods from local bodies.
The BUCTU’s letter states, “At the outset, the circular not only defies guidelines issued by the Government of Maharashtra but shockingly is misquoting it, too, to shed not just the responsibility entrusted on the university vide the GR but its moral and statutory duty, too. The logical outcome of the university’s circular is that all 780 affiliated colleges will ask for individual permissions for reopening and will start functioning at different times, whereas the government circular clearly states that the university should communicate with disaster management authorities and should announce districtwise programmes to maintain uniformity in the conduct of academics in affiliated colleges.”
The letter further reads, “We have witnessed the failure of the university during the pandemic peak to stop perverse practices adopted in several affiliated colleges. The university has in such cases remained mute spectator.” The letter added that the university puts both teachers and students, who are going to have to travel to college, in difficulties. “The university, as a parent body, should step up and follow the GR,” said Dr GB Raje, president, BUCTU. Dr Baliram Gaikwad, acting registrar of MU was unavailable for comment.
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