The Calicut University Syndicate has decided not to terminate the services of around 400 contract staff employed at self-financing institutions directly run by the varsity.
At its meeting held on Wednesday, the Syndicate also passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it discriminatory in nature and against the values upheld by the Constitution. The members claimed that the academic community was concerned about the implications of the Act. A cultural festival would be held in March to highlight secular values.
The meeting also decided to seek legal opinion on the recommendation of action against the chairman of the undergraduate board of studies. This follows an inquiry that found merit in the allegations of irregularities in framing the syllabus for UG Malayalam common course and the changes made in the syllabus allegedly to help private publishers.
The teaching and non-teaching staff had been working in around 50 study centres offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering, paramedical subjects, and arts and science. They are spread across Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Wayanad districts and their work experience is in the range of five to 20 years. Normally, these staff are appointed on a one-year contract, which gets extended.
The decision to terminate their services had irked the pro-Left Self-Financing College Teachers’ and Staff Association, which was planning to launch an agitation. Now, the Syndicate meeting decided to maintain the status quo.
