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JNUSU Elections 2012 : A Perspective and Agenda- II

21.2.12

Yesterday, we issued the first part of our perspective and agenda on JNUSU elections 2012. In continuation, we are releasing this leaflet where issues of campus democracy, and several school-specific demands have been highlighted.

The platform of the SSS Debates should be rejuvenated. Democratizing academic structure by providing basic texts in vernacular languages, and setting up department-level mechanisms/bodies for special coaching. Revitalize SFCs in all centres, elections must be held; interaction between SFCs and SSS Councillors to be regularized. Options to take out of centre courses should be increased. Immediate redressal of high-drop rate: The BA programme in SL is witnessing a steady rise in drop-out rate, particularly in centres like Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Students are falling victim to undemocratic atmosphere in the classroom, as well as use of arbitrary evaluation norms in the 1st semester itself. Immediately increase the number of permanent faculties in several departments. The SL cultural festival Kallol, and the film festival Kalrav should be revived. Immediately increase the number of permanent faculties in several departments. More regular functioning of the Career Counselling and Placement Bureau for the students of SLL&CS. Increase the number of optionals offered in SL and also in other schools like SSS and SIS. Moreover, the seats thereof should be increased and the allotment process should be streamlined. Centre based selection process for award of foreign scholarships be made transperant and bias free: In recent times, the selection process adopted by centres for awarding foreign scholarships have increasingly become non-transparent; well-established procedures adopted earlier are being replaced by arbitrary criteria and internal evaluations that create room for biasedness and favouritism. Institution of the Student-Faculty Committee (SFC) should be strengthened through regular elections and real democratic participation. Computer facilities with language software and fonts should be upgraded, maintained and kept fully functional. A Reading Room facility should be restored, furnished with foreign language magazines, j ournals and daily newspapers. Expansion of Centre for Indian Languages (CIL) to include other modern Indian Languages, (such as Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Oriya), introduce a Comparitive Literature programme in SLL&CS, M Phil/PhD programmes in the Korean language. Korean should be developed as a full-fledged centre.

Issues of Campus Democracy

Struggle Against Lyngdoh and to Restore the JNUSU Constitution: The struggle against Lyngdoh is far from over, JNUSU has to be made a national platform for fighting against Lyngdoh. Our ongoing case in the Supreme Court is the ONLY existing legal challenge to the draconian, anti-student Lyngdoh committee recommendations. In the days to come, we need a JNUSU which is ideologically committed to carry forward this battle against Lyngdoh with renewed energy, broad based mobilisation and focus. We have to ensure that the pending matter of defending the JNUSU constitution against the Lyngdoh report in the Supreme Court is expedited. This crucial struggle against Lyngdoh and its staunch defender YFE obviously cannot be led by so-called left forces like SFI, which have a national position defending Lyngdoh! After all, we have not forgotten that SFI boycotted several of JSCs joint initiatives because of its pro-Lyngdoh national position. It boycotted the national convention for campus democracy held in January 2009, and on October 22nd 2009 when JSC called a Night Vigil against Lyngdoh and defending the JNUSU constitution, SFI not j ust boycotted the programme, it called a parallel programme of its own on the very same day and time! Defending Democratic Decision-Making Bodies and Resisting Administrative Interference: We have seen several attempts by the JNU administration to undermine democratic decision-making bodies, especially the IHA. For instance, establishment charges have been increased twice by the IHA, without any data and information to justify this move. Moreover, hostel administrations are increasingly acting in a high-handed and autocratic manner, clamping democratic spaces and rights in our hostels. JNUSU will have to take this issue up in the days to come. Student Representation in AC/BoS: After a long struggle by JNUSU and the student community, the JNU administration agreed that students should have representation in statutory decision-making bodies like the AC/BoS. However, the existing grade point criterion limits the scope of participation of students, and goes against the democratic ethos of JNU. Elections for student representation to AC/BoS need to be held and the grade criterion needs to be removed. Ensuring More Student Representation of Students in Decision-making: In 2007 and 2008, the JNUSU had taken certain measures to ensure democratization of decisionmaking: student representation in the management of library facilities, and representation of PH students in the CDC had been ensured. This process has to be carried forward, and all possible forums of representation, including the Student Faculty Committees, have to be revitalized.

SLL&CS

School Specific Issues

SSS
Improvement of functioning of DSA and SAP libraries: Xerox facilities in SAP library of CPS, CSSS library, extension of timings of all departmental libraries. Students representation required on library committees. Scanning of textbooks and readings for major courses for physically challenged students on an immediate basis. The catalogue of books available in the department libraries of various centres (CPS/CSSS etc) should be uploaded on to the catalogue of the central library.

SIS
Computer room facility in the school, achieved after onerous efforts, is now in terrible shape. The entire set up must be upgraded and duly maintained. There should be an online database for the school with all necessary academic and institutional information. Students should be subsidized and encouraged to attend national and international level seminars and Students exchange programme for M.A. level students be started. Restructuring of programmes and courses to make them socially-sensitive and also to equip

P.T.O.

students with necessary quantitative techniques so to enable them to benefit from the state-of-art literature. A school level magazine with a permanent wall magazine highlighting issues of our times. Restarting of the system of tutorials to help students. School /centre-level libraries, with books and journals. Revamping of the common room infrastructure as well as newspapers/journals available in the common room.

those who are opposing draconian laws like AFSPA, UAPA, PSA in the North-East, Kashmir, in the mineral-rich belts, and elsewhere in the country. those struggling for their autonomy, identity, and statehood, as in Telangana and Gorkhaland. those who are resisting neo-colonialism and imperialism in its varied forms: in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt those who are resisting the genocide and subjugation of the Tamils in Sri Lanka The right-wing student organizations like ABVP, NSUI, YFE are

Science Schools
Pressing need of democratization and transparency at all levels: Proper and timely allotment of labs to all registered students, and streamlining of the system of lab allotment based on objective criteria. Large-scale presence of non-bonafide students on projects or otherwise has severely curtailed the facilities of lab. space, time,guidesattention and funds meant for registered JNUstudents!Often such engagement becomes the backdoor route for subsequent entry into direct Ph.D. with project guides, making a mockery of JNUs rigorous entrance system. There should be all-round transparency in the evaluation by the doctoral committees in clearing progress reports and granting 9B and the entire onus of under-performance must not lie with the student alone. Irregular and delayed supply of chemicals and instruments in science schools must be addressed and lab facilities must be improved and latest books must be made available in the library. Timely disbursal of various scholarships/fellowships through the institution of a proper corpus fund. The CSIR fellowship for instance is often released one and a half years late, which is just not acceptable. Immediate redressal of high drop-out rates in SBT and SIT. Fulfillment of SC/ST/OBC/PH quota in teaching and nonteaching appointments

agents of the social and political forces that are unleashing assaults on the people with communal and casteist frenzy and a whole-range of neo-liberal policies. They must be resolutely defeated. But we also need to assess the democratic commitment of the so-called left groups too. The SFI and its parent party CPIM have defended and imposed SEZs, corporate land grab, police firing on peasants, Operation Green Hunt, AFSPA and UAPA; they have remained silent on the witch-hunt of minorities and fake encounters; governments headed by CPIM have pursued privatization of education and health and robbed workers rights, peddling the idea that TINA (there is no alternative) to these policies. If these were SFIs policies on a national stage, it is inevitable that its policies in JNU too were no different. After all, SFI remained aloof from the long struggle against the faulty cut-off criteria for OBC students and never bothered to restore deprivation points despite being in JNUSU for several times during 1983-93. They defended setting up of a corporate outlet like Nestle in JNU, and betrayed the workers movement and demanded a Proctorial Enquiry on protesting students fighting for workers minimum wages. More recently boycotted a united movement against locking up of the JNUSU office, on the spurious grounds that the JNUSU office should not be used for partisan purposes in doing so, strengthening the JNU administrations attempts to ban the activities of the JNU Forum. Not j ust this, SFI completely boycotted the protracted struggle against an administrative ban on a student group! Can we expect such a force to lead struggles for campus democracy? And in order to hide its MANY betrayals, SFI predictably launches a campaign of meaningless slander and lies against AISA. By resisting attacks, by imagining new futures, and institutionalizing progressive changes, AISA has evolved and articulated a radical and creative vision of politics in JNU. It has played a vanguard role in addressing the burning questions of our time. We need to build a strong, robust resistance to assaults on student rights and campus democracy; we need to defend the spirit of JNUSU which is committed to struggle for a secular, democratic, sociallyinclusive and gender-sensitive JNU and society at large. What exactly is at stake: in the days to come, will JNUSU remain a genuine platform of struggle against anti-student anti-people policies, or solidarity with peoples movements? We appeal to the JNU student community to elect a JNUSU that remains true to its fighting vision and mission.

Response of JNUSU to the Burning Questions of Our Time

For the JNU students movement, there has never been an artificial wall between campus struggles and peoples movements beyond the campus. JNUSU has always been a platform of solidarity with peoples democratic struggles and movements across the country. JNU has always been proud this tradition of solidarity. In the coming days, the student community will be voting for a JNUSU after four long years. This JNUSU, and the coming student unions have to be given a mandate to carry forward this tradition. JNUSU necessarily needs this vision and commitment to be the voice of those who have always been marginalized: those social forces who are defending their lands and livelihoods against corporate land grab and plunder of natural resources. those who are fighting against communal common sense prevalent in society, resisting fake encounters and framing of innocents. those who are resisting state repression, Operation Green Hunt, and other state-sponsored assaults to curb peoples movements. those opposing the US-dictated nuclear overdrive by the Manmohan Singh govt, and proposed nuclear power plants in Koodankulam, Jaitapur, Fatehabad and elsewhere.

Abhishek Kr. Yadav, Vice-President, AISA, JNU

Omprasad, Jt.Secy., AISA,JNU