On March 24, the teachers in Mumbai's Tata Institute of Social Science were given their termination letters according to which their appointment had to come to an end on March 31. University Grants Commission failed to extend the tenure as a result of which the notices were sent to faculty members from the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policies, Advance Centre for Women's Studies and Centre of Excellence for Human Rights Education.
Director to student union
According to the reports, the director on the institute wrote to the student union in which he stated that institute will review the work of all these faculty members before making any final decision. On Friday, the teachers were officially relieved and their internet and phones were also disconnected.
On March 29, the UGC issued a public notice stating that all its planned schemes will continue but the notice did not include any information about the termination of the teachers as the centers will still run for another year.
An email sent by the director read, "We have written to the UGC seeking written commitment that it will release Rs 526 lakh spent by the TISS to manage these three centers, and by when it will release the grant for 2017- 18. In the meantime, the institute will start a review of the performance of each of the faculty and staff engaged with these centers and decide on their continuance. While we make these decisions, the interests of the students will be kept in mind. For the information of the students, we want to state that TISS may have been the only university in the country to appoint all sanctioned positions to these centres irrespective of the fact that the UGC has not been releasing money."