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Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) initially dismissed over 100 staff members on June 30, 2024, due to a funding shortfall from the Tata Education Trust (TET). Following an assurance of funds from TET, TISS promptly reinstated the affected staff, resolving the immediate crisis.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) found itself at the center of a controversy after dismissing over 100 contractual staff members, including 55 faculty and nearly 60 non-teaching employees, across its four campuses on June 30, 2024. This drastic move, made without prior notice, primarily impacted the Guwahati campus, where half of the teaching staff and all non-teaching staff were let go. The reason cited for these dismissals was the non-receipt of grants from the Tata Education Trust (TET), which funded their salaries.

On Friday, June 28, staff members were informed of their termination via email. The message, sent by the office of the officiating registrar, Anil Sutar, stated, “In the event of non-receipt of approval/grant from Tata Education Trust, their services would come to an end with effect from June 30.” This sudden notice left many staff members, some of whom had been with TISS for over a decade, shocked and uncertain about the future.

A faculty member from the Guwahati campus expressed their dismay, saying, “Our annual contracts actually ended in May, but at the beginning of this month, we got an email requesting us to continue with institute work till the Tata Trust funding is renewed. We had no inkling that they would not honor the commitment given to us.” Another faculty member added, “We were also working to revamp the entire Masters program in compliance with the New Education Policy during this period. All faculty members worked to develop the new syllabus and courses were allotted for the upcoming semester.”

The TISS Teachers Association held an urgent meeting to discuss the dismissals. According to the administration, they had made several attempts over the past six months to secure the grant from TET. An official from TISS stated, “The institute made several attempts for the release of grants through official correspondence and personal meetings with the Tata Education Trust, but the decision regarding further extension of the grant period has not yet been received from the Tata Education Trust.”

Faculty members linked the dismissals to changes in the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, which last year brought TISS under the central government’s purview of appointments along with other deemed-to-be universities receiving over 50% funding from the Center. However, the TISS administration dismissed any connection between the two events.

Just a few days later, on Sunday, TISS announced the withdrawal of the dismissal notices after TET assured that funds would be made available. The institute issued a statement signed by the Registrar, stating, “TET has committed to releasing funds for the salaries of TET project/program faculty and non-teaching staff.” The statement further informed that the dismissal letter dated June 28 was withdrawn immediately and staff members were requested to continue their work. It added, “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 resolution brought relief to the affected staff. An official from TISS commented, “The institute is now able to continue with the TET Project based contractual staff as it is. Meanwhile, the institute in the future will work on identifying the requirements of the staff and appointing them with a regular process of advertising for the post as per the other UGC-approved appointments.”

A senior TISS official in Mumbai reflected on the situation, highlighting the impact on the institution’s mission and the dedication of the dismissed faculty. “The dismissed faculty members were not just NET-passed PhD scholars but individuals selected by a highly regarded panel of the Tata Education Trust. Many of these professors turned down lucrative offers from newly emerged private universities in Delhi and other metropolitan cities because of their dedication to the TISS style of social science research and interventions.”

Featured image credits: Hindustan Times

Lakshita Arora

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A Dalit PhD scholar, Ramadas, received a 2-year suspension notice from all TISS campuses after attending a protest march in Delhi, citing them as anti-national activities.

A PhD student has been suspended for two years by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai for engaging in actions that the institution deemed “not in the interest of the nation.” The student’s participation in a protest in Delhi under the PSF-TISS banner is one example of the alleged misconduct. Additionally, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, 30, pursuing a doctorate in development studies, is not allowed to enter the TISS campuses in Hyderabad, Guwahati, Mumbai, or Tuljapur.

Ramadas had received a notice in March advising him against his activities in the name of the college, following which he received a suspension notice in April. The notice dated March 7 stated that Ramadas misused the institute name by participating in the protest under the banner of PSF-TISS. As per the notice, since PSF is not a recognized student body of the institute, Ramadas using the name created a wrongful impression of the institute, which is funded under the Ministry of Education.

The suspension order refers to a show-cause notice sent to Ramadas on March 7 and states that a committee constituted following the notice submitted its recommendations on April 17. “The Committee recommended your suspension for two years, and your entry shall be debarred across all campuses of TISS,” states the suspension order addressed to Ramadas, adding that the competent authority has accepted the recommendations.

In addition to criticizing Ramadas’ January social media posts, the institute opposed students attending the January 26 screening of the documentary “Raam Ke Naam” because it was “a mark of dishonor and protest against the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya” in its March 7 show-cause notice. Anand Patwardhan’s documentary “Ram ke Naam” has won a national prize previously.

In an interview with The Week, Ramdas, when questioned about using the institutions for his political activities, gave the following reply:

……Secondly, whether we have “misused” the name of TISS or not. The institute asked me to explain it on March 7. I duly replied. I can confirm that I have attended a Parliament march. I was one of the speakers. There is nothing to hide about that. But what is the capacity in which I attended it? Yes, I am a student of TISS. But that is not the only identity that I am holding. I am a citizen of this country. I do have equal constitutional rights as everyone else in this country. Not only me, but all other students who have joined the march. So, all of them belong to some other university. Everyone has the right to attend there. And this was a programme conducted at a place allotted by the Delhi Police—a law enforcing agency of the land. So, if the Delhi Police has no problem, if they are allotting it time, there is nothing unusual taking place. A peaceful gathering and a public meeting taking place, what is wrong with it?

And whether we have used TISS’s name there or not, or pretended that we are officially representing TISS or not. No, we didn’t represent TISS. In every campus in the country, student organisations use the name of the university along with their name to communicate the constituency in which they are working in. So, when PSF works in TISS, it will be PSF-TISS. Not only PSF, there are seven other organisations also doing the same. So, it should not be a problem when one organisation or one individual within an organisation is using it. One of the organisations which is using TISS’s name along with their name is DSSF, which is an ABVP-affiliated organisation. If they can be use it, there shouldn’t be a problem when PSF uses them.

The allegation is we have “misused” it in the Parliament march. There is an official pamphlet jointly undersigned and released by all organisations in which there is no mention of TISS. It was only PSF.”

The Progressive Student Forum, a left-leaning student body Prini Sivanandan is associated with, said the march referred to by the TISS was related to “anti-student policies in the form of the National Education Policy.”.

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Saanvi Manchanda

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