Mumbai University professors excluded from Academic Council poll

Mumbai University

After a three-year-long delay, the Mumbai University (MU) has finally started the elections for the institute's decision-making bodies - Senate, Academic Council, Management Council among all. However, the varsity has also managed to introduce a goof-up in the system. According to the authorities, neither can the professors contest the Academic Council (AC) elections, nor can they vote for it. After some of them registered their names for contesting the elections, they were shocked to find no mention of them in the electoral role. What is even more shocking is that only college teachers would be allowed to take part in the election.

The University of Mumbai Academic Staff Association (UMASA) has challenged the election process on the ground that the academic decisions of the university for the next five years would get hampered if its own professors were not included in the decision-making bodies. However, sources said that UMASA's disappointment was just one of the several issues that the election process was going through.

Sources further said that after the tenure of the previous bodies ended, the new Maharashtra Universities Act was implemented in 2014. Due to the delay in implementation of the Act, the election process got postponed. However, even though the process has started, it's already neck-deep in problems.

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Balaji Kendre, president of UMASA, said, "It's the most bizarre mistake that has ever happened. There is no regulation that excludes the varsity professors from the election process. And even the varsity authorities have not given any clear reason for this decision. This means that professors will not play any role in the academic decisions."

Though MU Vice-Chancellor Dr Devanand Shinde was unavailable for comment, a senior registrar from the varsity, who is involved in the election process, said, "Now that the process has already started, we'll have to take legal advice to know whether a new notification can be issued to include the varsity professors. The matter should have been brought to our notice when the electoral roll was issued."

2014
The year the Maharashtra Universities Act was implemented

200
Number of professors the university has

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