Latest news with #AssociationofUniversityTeachers
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
AUT wants unified admission panel for self-financing and aided streams in colleges in T.N.
The Association of University Teachers has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to ensure a single admission committee for self-financing and aided streams in aided colleges across the State. The members want the government to make sure that aided stream students in colleges are levied only the government-prescribed fees during admission. The association appealed to the government to constitute an admission committee for the year 2025-26 by co-opting Scheduled Caste (SC) members in it. The council has resolved to implement the Prohibition of Capitation Fee (Educational Institutions) Act 1992 to prevent managements of aided colleges from fleecing students from lower socioeconomic background. The members wanted the government to appoint a bureaucrat as the registrar of Periyar University, Salem, to streamline the administrative irregularities found in the varsity in the last four years. The council has also proposed to appeal to the government to constitute an inquiry into the nomination of the head of Tamil department as the in-charge Vice-Chancellor by the then V-C R. Jaganathan, and the omissions and commissions by the in-charge V-C. An impartial inquiry into excess fee collection in the name of condonation fee for Tiruvalluvar University during 2024-25 must be constituted, the members said. They have also sought the implementation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, 2023, by universities that call for nomination of only senior-most faculties to the academic council/governing board of autonomous colleges. K. Raja, general secretary of the AUT, said the Higher Education department should initiate immediate steps to release the long-pending salary since April 2024 due to teachers and staffers of erstwhile constituent colleges of Bharathidasan University and withdraw the case filed at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. The council also resolved to urge Bharathidasan University to absorb the 34 regular teachers against existing vacancy in university departments in consonance with the resolution passed by the syndicate in November 2019. The AUT resolved that the Higher Education department should intervene and impress upon the interim administrator to conduct the elections to the Pachiayappa's Trust Board to enable the constitutions of the college committees at the earliest. On Sunday (May 25, 2025), the AUT elected new office-bearers. R. Saravanan, K. Raja, and K. Syed Ahamed Kabeer were sworn in as president, general secretary, and treasurer, respectively, for the period 2025-2027.
Arabian Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Post
University of Zimbabwe Faces Backlash Over Meagre Pay for Replacement Lecturers
The University of Zimbabwe has sparked widespread criticism by offering adjunct lecturers a paltry US$5.50 per hour to replace striking academic staff, intensifying an ongoing labour dispute that has disrupted operations at the country's premier higher education institution. Lecturers, represented by the Association of University Teachers , initiated an indefinite strike on 16 April, demanding a return to pre-2018 salary levels of US$2,250 per month for junior faculty. Currently, most earn less than US$300, supplemented by a Zimbabwe Gold component that, when converted, amounts to under US$200—an effective 87% pay cut. The university's decision to recruit adjuncts at such low rates has been met with outrage from both academic and student communities. AUT leaders argue that the move undermines the quality of education and reflects a disregard for the welfare of educators. 'We have subsidised this university for more than seven years,' said AUT spokesperson Professor Obvious Vengeyi. 'On the contrary, they have plundered it.' ADVERTISEMENT The strike has led to significant disruptions, with many classes suspended and students expressing concern over the continuity of their education. Tafadzwa Katsande, a representative from the Zimbabwe National Student Union , voiced solidarity with the lecturers, stating, 'We understand your plight better because we are your children before you are our lecturers. Even if we don't attend classes for the whole semester, let it be so.' The government's response has been mixed. Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba acknowledged the legitimacy of the lecturers' grievances, noting that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had approved a welfare proposal to address the issues. However, implementation has been delayed, leading to further frustration among the academic staff. In an attempt to quell the unrest, UZ suspended several AUT leaders, including President Phillemon Munyaradzi Chamburuka and Treasurer Obvious Vengeyi, citing charges of inciting unrest. These suspensions were later revoked following legal challenges and public outcry. Vengeyi commented on the revocation, suggesting it was a tactic to distract from the core issue of fair remuneration. The situation escalated when police arrested three lecturers during a peaceful protest at the university's main entrance. Those detained included Professor Vengeyi, Dr Desmond Ndedzu, and Group Captain Boncase Mwakorera. The arrests drew condemnation from various quarters, with critics accusing authorities of suppressing lawful demonstrations. Despite these challenges, the AUT remains steadfast in its demands. Lecturers have withdrawn not only their teaching services but also their participation in research and administrative duties. They have also ceased using personal resources, such as laptops and mobile data, for university-related work. The broader economic context in Zimbabwe, marked by hyperinflation and currency instability, has exacerbated the crisis. Many lecturers report struggling to afford basic necessities, with some unable to pay for their children's education or meet daily living expenses. The AUT has highlighted these hardships in communications with university management, emphasizing the urgent need for salary adjustments.
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Plea to start admissions at Bharathiar University's extension centre in Erode
COIMBATORE: The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has requested the higher education department to take immediate steps to begin admissions at the Bharathiar University Postgraduate Extension and Research Centre, which functions on a private college campus in Perundurai, Erode district. It pointed out that the admission notification for the postgraduate departments of Bharathiar University began on May 9 and ends on May 31 but the admission notification for the PG extension and research centre has yet not been released. AUT Vice President P Thirunavukkarasu told TNIE that last year, admissions for the PG extension centre began in July, and the admission notification for Bharathiar University's departments was released in May 2024. He pointed out that due to delay, some students joined private colleges in Erode, and only a few students enrolled in the six PG courses: Tamil, English, Mathematics, Computer Science, MBA and MCA.
New Indian Express
08-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Search committee invites applications for Bharathiar University V-C
COIMBATORE: The recently constituted vice-chancellor (V-C) search committee of Bharathiar University has invited applications for the post of V-C from eligible candidates till June 8. A notification released on Wednesday by the nodal officer of the search committee stated that the higher education department has constituted a search committee, to recommend three names to the government, to appoint the V-C of Bharathiar University. The search committee invited applications from distinguished academicians with the highest level of competence and possessing the educational qualifications and experience as notified in the Bharathiar University Act. Interested candidates may download the prescribed application format from the university website and send the filled application via e-mail. A hard copy along with supporting documents proving eligibility and academic credentials, should be by post titled "Application for the post of the VC, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore" before June 8, the notification added. Association of University Teachers Vice-President P Thirunavukkarasu welcomed this move and told TNIE that last year, the higher education department had released a notification to fill key posts of 'Registrar' and 'Controller of Examinations' at Bharathiar University. He alleged that after receiving applications, the selection process was stalled. He urged that, like the V-C post, the higher education department should fill the other key posts in the university.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Periyar varsity V-C can be held if he does not cooperate with investigation, says HC
The Madras high court on Tuesday said that if Periyar University vice chancellor R Jagannathan did not cooperate in the investigation of a case registered against him under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, or attempted to tamper with the evidence, the Tamil Nadu police was allowed to arrest him. Justice P Velmurugan passed the orders on a criminal appeal filed by the state police in 2023 against the Salem judicial magistrate refusing to remand the vice-chancellor to judicial custody and granting him bail. The judge said that while the judicial magistrate can refuse to remand the accused, it did not have the jurisdiction to grant bail since only a trial court can conduct a trial against the accused for offences in SC/ST cases. 'In case he fails to cooperate or the prosecution finds that he is trying to tamper with the evidence, it is always open to the investigating officer to arrest the first respondent (vice-chancellor) and take him to judicial custody and complete the investigation in accordance with the law,' the justice said. Jagannathan was arrested on December 26, 2023 on charges of allegedly starting a private firm inside the university campus and for misappropriating public funds. When this irregularity was questioned, the V-C used slur words referring to his caste, alleged the complainant, I Elangovan who claimed to be the president of the Association of University Teachers, legal adviser and social activist filed a complaint to the Salem police. He alleged that the university's V-C and the registrar, K Thangavel, along with three others, registered a company, Periyar University Technology Entrepreneurship and Research Foundation (PUTER FOUNDATION). Each of the accused was shown as a director and the official address of this company was shown to be inside the varsity. Also, a separate portion of land belonging to the university was allotted. He also alleged that this company was formed without obtaining any permission from the university and the government.
