New Delhi
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said that the interviews for appointing 300 lecturers in Jawaharlal Nehru University have started and number of enrollments in PhD and MPhil programmes will be more this year in comparison with last year.
The minister's remark comes two weeks after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students called for a total university strike in a bid to protest against seat cut in PhD/ Mphil courses.
JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) president Ayesha Kidwai said that the total intake approved by the Academic Council was 1406 (including direct seats) but the the total intake as per the JNU e-prospectus was 194.
"Any dispute with regard to any matter relating to admission shall be subject to the jurisdiction of Delhi Courts only," read a note on JNU's official website.
JNU Students' Union pointed that the students reduction of seats is an attempt to shutdown JNU. The JNUSU and JNUTA had earlier written to the President Pranab Mukherjee, who is the Visitor to the JNU, and pointed out that the notification adopted by the university is unconstitutional.
They alleged that it is in violation of the JNU Act as the administration has violated the statutes, ordinances, rules and established processes of the university in adopting the UGC notification as the minutes of the Academic Council meeting were falsified as none of the matters relating to the change of admission rules were discussed in the 142nd AC meeting of the University, reported The Hindu.
“Clause 5 of the Act says that the number of seats has to be fixed upon the date of coming into force of the Act, and cannot be reduced thereafter,"JNUTA said.
Image Courtesy: www.jnu.ac.in