New JNU hostel manual from tomorrow, students asked to call off strike

Cice-president of the JNU students' union, said the students had a meeting with the varsity Registrar and Rector where some issues were discussed

The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday said it will implement the new hostel manual from Wednesday, with its Vice-Chancellor appealing to the students to call off their strike.

After a meeting of all the three Rectors, the university's Registrar, the Deans of Schools and Chairpersons of the Special Centres, a circular was also issued urging the students, who have completed their "academic requirements of Monsoon semester 2019", to register for the new semester between Wednesday and January 5.

For those who have not completed the "academic requirements" provisional registration will be allowed during the same period, the varsity said. It said the provisionally registered students are required to complete the "academic requirements" by January 20, 2020 to keep their registration valid.

 

The Deans and Chairpersons will ensure that evaluations, examinations and grading of all the provisionally registered students are completed on or before January 20, 2020, the varsity said.

For all the students, winter semester will start as per the academic calendar, it said.

According to a varsity official, the students who boycotted exams and did not take the tests even the question papers were sent to them through email and WhatsApp have been given another chance.

"They can provisionally register for the semester, take exams at their respective schools and the results will be declared by January 20," a varsity official said.

Saket Moon, the vice-president of the JNU students' union, said the students had a meeting with the varsity Registrar and Rector where some issues were discussed.

He said the students' union will hold a meeting to decide whether they will take the exams or not.

The students of the university have been on a strike for over two months against the hostel manual as it has provisions for fee hike and levies service and utility charges.

However, a JNU official said the service and utility charges will be taken care of by the University Grants Commission and will not be levied on the students.

The varsity's vice-chancellor, Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, wished the students well for the New Year and cited the varsity's achievements. He also expressed concerns saying, "certain recent incidents have deeply impeded the forward march of our university".

"It is difficult to fathom what prompted our students to take the path of confrontation and disruption affecting the teaching and research work towards the end of the Monsoon Semester 2019," he said.

Although the university administration and the relevant bodies followed the statutory process for revising the room rent and hostel charges, a false impression was created as if the administration was bringing about these changes to harm the students, Kumar said.

He explained that the nominal increase in the hostel charges was necessitated owing to a mounting fiscal pressure on the University budget, and to maintain a comfortable and conducive hostel accommodation.

The administration made several attempts to establish meaningful dialogues with the agitating students to explain the rationale behind the new hostel charges, Kumar said.

The agitating students prevented the teachers and other students from entering few school buildings, he added.

"The university is giving yet another chance to the students to complete their academic requirements of Monsoon semester 2019. I appeal to the agitating students to call off their strike and lockdown of certain school buildings," Kumar said.