The prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has terminated approximately 100 teaching and non-teaching staff members, citing a funding crunch as the reason. The termination letters, issued on June 28th, stated that the contracts would not be renewed and the affected staff members’ services would end on June 30th, 2024.
According to TISS, these staff members were appointed under various projects funded by the Tata Trust. The institute explained that the Tata Trust had stopped funding these projects in recent months, leading to the decision to terminate these positions. Professor Manoj Kumar Tiwari, the in-charge Vice-Chancellor of TISS, stated that they had initially allowed these teachers to work on a clock-hour basis but were now unable to secure financial assistance to continue their employment. He expressed hope that they would be able to reappoint these staff members once funding from the Trust resumes.
The termination decision has sent shockwaves through the TISS community, leaving the affected staff members facing unemployment. The Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student group at TISS, issued a statement condemning the move. While the exact number of affected employees remains unclear, PSF expressed concern that the mass termination would create a significant shortage of both teaching and non-teaching staff at the institute.
PSF highlighted the significant contributions of faculty and staff in establishing TISS’s reputation as a leading social science institution over its nearly 90-year history. The organization also pointed out that the Indian government had transformed TISS into a fully publicly funded institution last year, but this transition had resulted in delays in student aid and increased financial pressures on students from marginalized backgrounds. PSF argued that the termination of staff positions further underscored the BJP government’s perceived anti-education and anti-TISS stance.
The PSF has called for the reinstatement of funding from the Tata Education Trust and the protection of these jobs. The situation at TISS raises concerns about the potential impact of funding cuts on the academic and administrative functions of educational institutions and the well-being of their staff members.
