The sit-in protest staged by 37 faculty members of the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) against an order of the Directorate of Collegiate Education (DCE), which deputed seven faculties to Presidency college to take classes for the second shift, entered the third day on Thursday, July 10.
The agitating teachers alleged that there are only 37 faculties for 32 departments against the sanctioned strength of 105, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
"We are already short staffed and the faculties who have been deputed to the Presidency college are single-handedly taking care of all academic and administrative responsibilities in their respective departments. This arrangement will only add to our workload," said a faculty member.
The DCE, in it's order, dated June 30, stated that seven faculty members have been deputed to Presidency College with the introduction of 44 new courses from the current academic year. With the process to appoint guest faculty under way, this arrangement is temporary, the order said.
The TNOU faculty members alleged that in the recent the Finance Committee and Syndicate meeting at the university, it was decided that teachers from the university can be deputed in government colleges, which is against the statute of the university, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
"The decision is unfair and wrong. They have an opinion that in distance education, teachers don't have any work. But, right from preparing course materials to handling paperwork of the department and addressing grievances of students, we do it all single-handedly, " another faculty added.
