164 Alumni of TISS Raise Concerns as Women’s Studies Centre Loses Most of Its Staff in Arbitrary Action
4 July 2024 | Maktoob Media
At least 164 alumni of the Women’s Studies program at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai have issued a joint statement raising concerns about the current status of the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, which has been part of TISS for over four decades. The center recently lost most of its staff, including the chairperson, after the institution sent mass termination letters to over 100 teaching and non-teaching staff.
On 28 June, 115 teaching and non-teaching faculty members at TISS received termination letters. The mass termination caused an uproar, prompting the management to reverse its decision. Two days later, the TISS management withdrew the terminations and reinstated employees at all four campuses. However, this reversal provided relief only to those teaching and non-teaching staff members funded by the Tata Education Trust. The TISS administration did not clarify the status of tenure for faculty members and non-teaching employees hired under the 12th Plan of the UGC, including three teaching and one non-teaching member at the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies. Despite repeated inquiries from Women’s Studies faculty, the administration remained indifferent…