The problems ailing TISS: Neglected women's department, no VC, list goes on
The institute courted controversy when it sacked members of staff, changed its admission system and shut down courses
Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), renowned for shaping social leaders, has lately suffered many crises, which have dented its image.
For the last 10 months the position of the vice chancellor of the institute, now a deemed university, is being managed with an interim incumbent – the director of IIM-Mumbai has been asked to multi-task and wear the VC’s hat. Its most popular four-decade old department, the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies (ACWS), which offers Master of Arts, MPhil and PhD in, is on ventilator.
On June 28, the administration terminated contracts of nearly 115 teaching and non-teaching staff members, including four from the ACWS department. Salaries of 111 are paid by the Tata Education Trust (TET) while the three faculty members’ salaries are paid from the grant received from the University Grants Commission (UGC) under the XI five-year plan.
Following widespread outrage across the country, the administration quickly withdrew the termination notices and reinstated 111 sacked staff members. Four members, which include three of faculty and one non-teaching member, were not brought back into service, because according to the institute it had not received the UGC grant. Today, the three-member department is yet to kick off the current academic year, which begins in June.
The institute’s alumni and retired faculty, including a former director, have written to the chancellor professor DP Singh voicing concern in its approach towards ACWS. Speaking on condition of anonymity, fearing a backlash, they said they are compelled to “save the glory of the institute, which has been a torchbearer for human rights, with many of its alumni going on to establish NGOs and launching social movements”.
A former faculty member said: “It is very painful to see such an insensitive approach by the administration towards a department. The department of women’s studies has been allied with feminist movements in India for the past four decades.” He emphasised many are employed in the philanthropy sector, mobilising resources and bridging shortfalls in funds in the development ecosystem. Some are working at esteemed academic institutions worldwide.
Alumni and current students of the TISS have been a part of various movements and studies related to students’ rights, labour and human rights, among other social issues. In recent history, TISS students and former ACWS faculty members supported Radhika Vemula, mother of former Hyderabad Central University scholar Rohith Vemula, who allegedly died by suicide in 2016. The students participated in protests on campus.
“It is therefore distressing to see the administration phasing out courses related to social entrepreneurship and women’s studies from the current academic year – it indicates a deliberate attempt to undermine the department’s significance,” said a professor.
Another added, “This will stunt social movements and ideological growth in our society.” He pointed out various controversial decisions that indicate the descent of the institute came about after the central government gained control over the university in July, 2023, following the Centre’s announcement that the union education department will have the last word in the appointment of TISS director and vice chancellor.
The rise and fall
TISS was established in 1936 as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. In 1944, it was renamed as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. In 1964, the institute was declared deemed to be university.
In 2015, after changes in central government’s scholarship policies, the institute withdrew aid to students from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer category, which led to a noticeable decline in the community’s representation in the institute.
At the start of the 2017 academic year, the administration unexpectedly declared that students would have to pay fees for the dining hall and hostel, which was funded by the government earlier. This included students from the SC and ST categories. Protests ensued and the institute reinstated the facility only for SC and ST students.
Most recently, despite having its own established entrance examination and selection system for academic year 2024-25, for the first time the institute has admitted students through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) to provide a single-window opportunity for all postgraduate students seeking admission to any of the Central Universities (CUs). The Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student body at TISS, objected to this change. The forum argued that scrapping its own exam system was “arbitrary and an attack on TISS’s identity and culture”.
The institute suspended the head of the student body, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, for two years after he screened a banned BBC documentary on campus on April 18 and participated in various protests.
Highlighting the role of alumni in policymaking for various organisations, both domestic and international, an alumnus of the ACWS said, “Considering the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) in the country, which focuses on multiskilling and employability of students, it is trying to cut the feathers of its most multi-skilled department.” When termination notices were issued, students stood by the staff and demanded that their services be retained. In a common statement, the students pointed out that it was unfair and an attack on quality education at the institute, by TISS’s present leadership.
When HT called a top official from TISS to comment on the present state of affairs, he said, “We are working to iron out issues of funding. It will be resolved soon. We are also working to recruit faculty members.” An official said TISS is facing challenges to recover fees to the tune of ₹15 crore from students who have graduated. He however reserved comment on the closure of courses and other concerns raised by former faculty members and students.
Tuljapur campus needs attention
Students from TISS’s Tuljapur campus have communicated to the administration about adversities besetting the institute. Rameshwar, a student from the campus, said: “There is no full-time dean here to address students’ issues; also, there aren’t enough full-time or contractual faculty members, which impacts our studies.”
He elaborated that nearly half of the subjects are taught by the visiting faculty who spend between a week to 15 days to complete the module they are assigned but when students require further assistance they have no one to turn to.
While the curricula at the Tuljapur campus focusses on rural development and entrepreneurship, the TISS administration recently decided to discontinue three master’s degree courses – sustainable livelihoods and natural resources governance, development planning policy and practice, and social innovation entrepreneurship.
TISS’s glory days
Alumni from the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies have significantly contributed to public policy and published research papers nationally and internationally.
TISS’s alumni include activist Medha Patkar who spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Andolan; industrialist Anu Aga; activist Urmi Basu who works to protect rights of sex workers; and human rights activist Subhash Mendhapurkar.
Various social projects run by TISS has brought about changes in society. Prayas, led by professor Sanober Sahni, has been working towards reforms in prisons, police stations and courts since 1985. Towards Advocacy Networking and Developmental Action (TANDA), started as a field action project, worked for the uplift of the Pardhi community in Mumbai through the Centre for Criminology and Justice, School of Social Work under guidance of professor Vijay Raghavan, in 2011.
Transforming BMC’s M Ward: Leveraging Knowledge for Social Transformation project was launched was in November 2011. Team M Ward, headed by professor Amita Bhide, acts as a pressure group by drawing the attention of policy makers towards various issues of the ward.