The Executive Council of the Jadavpur University today decided to reintroduce admission tests in the Arts faculty, putting an end to the impasse surrounding the scrapping of the entrance examinations in six humanities subjects.
The EC, after a marathon meeting, decided to admit students in the six subjects based on the 50:50 formula - equal weightage on marks obtained in admission tests and in board exams, a spokesman for the Jadavpur University Teachers' Association (JUTA) told PTI.
Members of the Arts Faculty Students' Union (AFSU), spearheading the agitation by students to press for reintroduction of admission tests, said they were withdrawing their 96-hour fast in the wake of the EC decision.
"However, we will take the path of democratic movement whenever there will be attacks on the autonomy of our institution," AFSU general secretary Debraj Debnath said.
The JUTA spokesperson said in the EC resolution, the Dean of Arts and Registrar have been asked to chalk out the modalities of the admission tests by tomorrow.
The resolution has also "reaffirmed full faith in its teachers and sought their cooperation," he said.
Meanwhile, JU Vice-Chancellor Suranjan Das told reporters that he wants to resign the post, and would speak to West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, who is also the varsity's chancellor, in this regard.
"Considering the present situation of the JU, it has become difficult for me and Pro-VC Pradip Ghosh to continue. We will meet the chancellor soon and express our wish to be relieved of our responsibilities," Das said.
The EC, in a July 4 resolution, had announced the scrapping of entrance tests for the six subjects - English, Comparative Literature, Bengali, History, Political Science and Philosophy - and decided that board examination marks would be the only criteria for admission.
Hours after the move, the AFSU members gheraoed the VC and other EC members in protest.
The sit-in, which lasted for about 30 hours, was followed by ceasework by JUTA members, class boycott and an indefinite fast by AFSU members.
The All Bengal University Teachers' Association, JU Chapter, had in a letter urged the VC to end the impasse by taking the opinion of all stakeholders, and called for upholding the functional autonomy of the institution.
The Governor, too, in a communication, had said that while the EC usually takes decisions on different issues of the varsity, the VC was empowered to take certain decisions on his own in case of exigencies.
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