DU: DTF Opposes Compulsory Attendance for Gita Certificate Course in Ramanujan College
Image courtesy: Wikimedia
New Delhi: The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), one of the biggest teachers bodies in Delhi University, has lashed out against the decision of Ramanujan College to ask for compulsory attendance of teachers for its Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Certificate Course. The course, organised by the Teaching Learning Centre, began on December 23 and will conclude on January 9 next year.
In an e-mail, Principal S P Agarwal said, “The course is designed basically for the college's teaching and non-teaching staff; that is why we kept it offline for insiders and online for anyone joining from outside. This course is in line with the setting up of the Indian Knowledge Centre in the college.”
The email further read, ”In view of the popular demand, we have also changed the time from 06:00 pm-08:00 pm to 04:30 pm-06:30 pm so that all of you can attend the programme conveniently and reach home in time. It has been decided now that all the newly recruited teaching staff in the last year must register and attend the program. It is compulsory for them to attend in offline mode. The rest of the teaching faculty is also compulsory but they can take a call whether they like to attend online or offline. Some of our senior colleagues are already registered offline including myself. Similarly, for all the non-teaching staff, it is compulsory for them to attend the program in offline mode. This is in line with our objective of creating an ecosystem in which we can set an example that our education is aligned with the Indian Knowledge System, i.e. Bharatiya Gyan Parampara.”
Abha Dev Habib, secretary, DTF, told NewsClick that teachers who have been appointed in the last year have to mandatorily attend offline while other teachers could either attend online or offline. “It is mandatory for the non-teaching staff to attend offline. The differential treatment meted out to newly appointed teachers and non-teaching staff vis-a-vis the senior teachers reveals an autocratic trait. While insulted, senior teachers are told that they are not being treated as badly and ought to be thankful,” she added.
Habib said: “Among the objectives listed for Teaching Learning Centre, the first in the list is to accelerate the teaching-learning process by way of promoting independent, critical and creative thinking. The illegal and unacademic mandate by the Principal defeats that objective. That very objective underlies the idea of a University. Illegally coercing teachers and non-teaching staff to remain engaged till 6.30 pm beyond official duties and the added burden of conducting the ongoing semester examinations of students, which is unacceptable, is a minor aspect of what is involved.”
Nandita Narain, former president of Delhi University Teachers Association, said,” The Principal has reduced himself to be zealot is an unavoidable apprehension. His letters urging staff to propagate integration of “this system” into “our modern education system” supports such an apprehension. He does not fail to urge the staff to not only accept compulsion but also to consider it a “matter of pride.”
She added, “It is not against academic principles to critically study the Bhagwad Gita or any other text. Making it mandatory and holding participants captive, however, suggests the propagation of uncritical thinking and sectarian beliefs. The choice of resource persons with divergent opinions / understanding too is central to any endeavour to deliberations on texts which happen to be articles of faith for sections of the people. It is doubtful whether zealots attempting to take over academic institutions would permit such critical interrogation. An academic institution in its entirety cannot be allowed to become an instrument of propagation of sectarian beliefs.”
She further said, “The administration of Ramanujan College must not act as an acolyte of the ruling dispensation in undermining public higher education. We call upon the administration of Ramanujan College to immediately withdraw mandatory attendance requirements in this course. The administration of Ramanujan College must also introspect on the impact of the conduct of such courses on the already fragile future of public higher education in India.”
NewsClick tried to reach Principal S P Agarwal through phone calls and text messages but could not solicit a reply. The copy will be updated once it is received.
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