Stephen's constitution: Teachers slam Thampu proposal; GB meet

Teachers have slammed a proposal by St Stephen's principal Valson Thampu for amending the college's 102-year-old constitution even as a meeting of the Governing Body (GB) during which the draft was to be tabled was postponed today.
College principal Valson Thampu, who is retiring in February next year, has circulated a draft amendment to select college teachers in which he has proposed that the principal be empowered to take disciplinary action against students or staff irrespective of the GB's opinion.
He has also called for giving a major say to the Church of North India (CNI) in the functioning of the college.

"The draft was supposed to be placed before the GB in a meeting scheduled on November 23, but that meeting was today postponed," a senior college official said told PTI although he did not elaborate on the reason behind the postponement.
Meanwhile, teachers at the college claimed that the draft was prepared without consulting them and is not only going to pave the way for "dictatorial" functioning but would also make the institution inaccessible for "non-Christian" students and faculty.
Thampu, however, claimed that it is the Supreme Council's decision to amend the constitution and there is no violation of procedures or law in the same.

"Whatever has been proposed is very much within the ambit of the law. I can challenge anyone to find any legal or procedural loophole in the same," he said.

Nandita Narain, mathematics professor at college, said, "This attempt by Thampu at the tail-end of his tenure is aimed at eliminating any kind of democratic set up in college. From admissions to appointments, the elected bodies will have no say in it and, on top of it, the principal will be the sole disciplinary action-taking authority."
Another teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that "the principal has to be Christian, faculty appointments have to be in favour of Christians, activities will be conducted to promote the religion".

The draft says that admission of students and appointment of faculty be handed over to the college's Supreme Council (SC), which consists of six members of the CNI.
The amendment also proposes to replace St Stephen's College Trust, which currently runs the college, with a proposed St Stephen's Educational Society, which will have the power to establish Stephen's-like private institutions across India.
As per the draft, the GB will have to "control the policy, development and direction of the institution and administer the finances and control the income and expenditure of the institution".
It has also been proposed that the minimum teaching experience needed for a candidate to apply for the post of principal be removed.

Thampu has also sought increased powers for the principal and the Supreme Council while proposing that the number of teacher representatives in the GB be cut down by half.
Earlier, 15 years' teaching experience along with a Ph.D in the relevant subject was the criteria for selection of the college principal. But, according to the draft, an applicant needs to be a "senior teacher of repute", an Indian national and a member of the Church of North India.
If the draft constitution is approved, the principal shall also have the power to decide "which staff members shall reside in the institution's staff quarters" and also recommend increments.

Making the GB "toothless", the draft has also proposed that power be granted to CNI to "veto, over-rule, supersede, amend, modify, and/or suspend any decision taken by the Governing Body.