In a General Body Meeting held on Wednesday, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) said that it had decided to boycott the compulsory attendance and was also opposed to vivas being held over Skype.
“The JNUTA general body strongly condemns the ongoing efforts of the Vice-Chancellor of JNU to further the destruction of the research culture and administration that he has already wreaked. The recent diktat on ‘Skype vivas’ by the V-C strikes at the heart of what makes a research meaningful in a university. The JNUTA general body finds this to be a ludicrous proposal, stemming from a very limited understanding of the viva voce as simply a verdict or grade” said the teacher’s association in a statement.
Conducive setting
Emphasising on the importance of a viva voce, the JNUTA said, “A student’s viva voce examination is a part of her education. Such proceedings must be conducted in a setting most conducive for this interaction. The JNUTA body also points out that making the online mode the norm shall effectively restrict the pool of scholars.”
Further, the teacher’s association also raised objections to the proposal of having compulsory attendance for students from all categories. Calling the move a “preposterous” one, the JNUTA said, “To expect research scholars to report in every day, when their work can require them to be in different parts of the city, is ridiculous. The JNUTA general body refuses to cooperate with this penalty being imposed on students and teachers alike.”
Meanwhile, the JNUTA also announced that the elections for the GSCASH body for 2018-19 will be kept in abeyance in view of the court’s orders.
