The Telangana Save Education Committee (TSEC), an umbrella organisation that includes four student outfits and several social-justice forums, condemned the decision of University of Hyderabad (UoH) of denying 300 students a chance to complete their Ph.D.
The students who had de-registered from their Ph.D course earlier were not allowed to submit their thesis or re-register this year, the committee pointed out. In a recent decision, the university has mandated, with retrospective effect, its Ph.D students to complete their course within five years. This forced several students, who had de-registered earlier, to lose their seat even as they were about to submit their thesis.
The forum also asked the varsity to immediately stop penalising senior professor K. Laxminarayana of economics department. In a first, the university has started a probe into a question on privatisation and saffronisation that Mr. Laxminarayana had asked in the MA end-semester examination for an optional course.
Speaking at a solidarity meeting, president of the committee K. Chakradhara Rao said, “Students and faculty members alike are being targeted here. Among those affected by the draconian rules of the university, those who belong to weak socio-economic backgrounds and marginalised communities are the worst hit.” Jayaraj, committee’s secretary, said, “The student who complained against Prof. Laxminarayana was not enrolled in the economics school where the latter teaches. The university should have dismissed the case, especially since the student verbally abused the professor on social media.”
Only the School Board of each school of studies has the authority to scrutinise questions set by any faculty member, the Committee maintained.
Leaders of SFI, AISF, TVV and KNPS were present in the meeting.
