AUD had also decided to do away with 100% fee waiver for all reserved category students irrespective of income, but after uproar, decided to stay the decision for this year.Cracks have appeared in the Ambedkar University Delhi administration, with 17 officials, including Deans of Schools, Director of Centres and the Presiding Officer of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), writing to the Vice-Chancellor against her manner of functioning, alleging their participation in decision making was at “risk” in her tenure.
Among things in which the Deans and Directors said they should have had more say was this year’s admission process, which saw intense protests from students over “scuttling of reservations”. AUD had also decided to do away with 100% fee waiver for all reserved category students irrespective of income, but after uproar, decided to stay the decision for this year.
V-C Anu Lather and PRO Anshu Singh did not respond to calls and texts.
“The faculty members of AUD, irrespective of their job tenure and permanency, proudly owned their programmes and provided their best efforts to establish this university. In turn, they also enjoyed the privilege of participating in many decision-making processes… We believe this sense of participation is at risk…,” they wrote to the V-C on December 16.
“In the existing meetings with the Vice-Chancellor, not only is the agenda not shared prior to the meeting, but faculty members are unable to bring their agenda to the discussion. Also these meetings focus largely on routine/administrative matters… Most faculty do not feel the administration values their role in the running of the university. For instance, there could have been greater communication with Deans of Schools about admission processes,” they added. The signatories alleged there was “growing dissatisfaction among both teachers and students”, and that Deans and Directors did not have any forum where “open discussions” with the V-C could take place.
In their letter, the signatories have said how UGC/MHRD regulations should be considered as “broad guidelines and not immutable laws”.
“Our fear is that the latter approach which is increasingly in evidence, will limit and cramp the possibilities of creative, autonomous and engaged intellectual and academic work,” they wrote, adding that there were also issued related to pension, leave and career advancement scheme.