JNU Teachers Denied Study Leave for Not Marking Attendance

Stoking a new controversy, Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has started denying leave to teachers who are not marking their attendance and not submitting the attendance records of their students. The teachers allege that the administration has denied them leave even when they applied it weeks in advance for presenting their research papers abroad. 

In a circular in November, JNU administration had made it mandatory for teachers to mark their attendance. The circular stated, "All proposals/requests of faculty members, including leave requests, should be forwarded by the Deans and Chairpersons of the School/Centre/Special Centre concerned for consideration of competent authority, only after confirming that the faculty member concerned has adhered to the attendance rules of the university and has been marking his/her attendance.”

The circular added that the teacher must also submit the attendance records of students with the application for leave. It read, "While forwarding request/ paper/proposal of faculties, it has to be ensured by the Deans of Schools/ Chairperson of Centres/Special Centres that the faculty concerned has been taking attendance of students as well. As desired by the competent authority, no request/paper/proposal of faculty will be entertained/considered if he/she has not adhered to the above decisions of statutory bodies.”

At least two teachers who are scheduled to attend international conferences next month alleged that their leave requests have been rejected. Archana Prasad, Professor at the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies said that she will be attending a conference in South Africa next month for which she had moved her application in October. When she tried to enquire the status of her application, she was told that it will only be considered once she submits the attendance records. Commenting on the development, she said, "The move will have a very negative impact on academics and they want to disrupt our careers.” 

‘Study Leave Important for Academics’

The issue of mandatory attendance has already invited scathing criticism from students and teachers. Many teachers argued that the attendance system is unproductive and a meaningless form of bureaucratic work for teachers. They further maintain that the faculty members live across various parts of the National Capital Region and coming to campus to mark their attendance when they have no classes or interaction sessions with students is arbitrary.

Talking to NewsClick, Prof. Avinash, General Secretary, Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association said the move humiliates teachers and attacks their autonomy. He said, "The move of the JNU administration challenges the very idea of education where interactions and engaging with each other is a must. We have never stopped teaching and we will never stop our work due to such academic regimentation."

He added that the move will also affect the quality of academics in the campus. He added, "When JNU was ranked number one, presentation of paper at other universities was one of the important factors in it. When you stop teachers and students from presenting papers and giving lectures, you are stopping them from doing the work they ought to be doing."