'COMMITTED TO RELEASING FUNDS': TISS WITHDRAWS 'MASS TERMINATION' NOTICE TO FACULTY, STAFF MEMBERS

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has revoked the notices of non-renewal of contracts issued to 55 teaching and 60 non-teaching staff members, as per a circular released on Sunday.

The affected employees, who were appointed under programs funded by the Tata Education Trust (TET) on a contractual basis, have been asked to continue their work at the institute's four campuses in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad, and Guwahati.

The circular stated that ongoing discussions with TET have provided assurance that resources will be made available to TISS to resolve the issue. TET has committed to releasing funds for the salaries of the affected faculty and non-teaching staff.

The circular further mentioned, "The letter numbered Admn/5(1) TET-Faculty & Staff/2024, dated 28th June 2024, addressed to all concerned TET Programme faculty and non-teaching staff, is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect. They are requested to continue their work, and salaries will be released as soon as the TET Support Grant is received by the institute."

The decision to not renew the contracts had drawn criticism from both the student body and fellow faculty members. A faculty member explained that these contracts were issued using grants received from the Tata Trust over the past 10-15 years to employ additional faculty for various courses.

The faculty member accused the TISS administration of not foreseeing the situation and failing to secure a timely renewal of the grant.

Another faculty member pointed out that some of the affected teaching staff had even been part of the interview process for selecting candidates for various courses last month. The administration had assured them that there was no reason to worry about funding, but suddenly issued notices of non-renewal due to lack of funds, which the faculty member attributed to mismanagement.

The Progressive Students Forum has criticized the TISS administration for its failure in running the institute and the BJP-led Union government for its apathy. The forum also highlighted the recent blunders made by the ministry of education in conducting nationwide entrance examinations, adding to the perceived incompetence of the central government.