JNU AC okays med school, hosp, JNUTA protests

New Delhi: Amid vigorous protests from the JNU Teachers' Association, the Jawaharlal Nehru University's Academic Council on Tuesday passed a proposal to set up a School of Medical Sciences and an attached super specialty hospital.

According to the proposal presented at the Academic Council meeting, the medical school will offer PhD, MD-PhD, MD, MS, DM, MCh and MBBS programmes with an emphasis on modern medicine integrated with traditional medicine and knowledge systems from humanities and social sciences, a statement from the varsity said.

Significantly, the JNUTA has now written to Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, highlighting once again that Vice-Chancellor Jgadesh Kumar did not have the authority in his position to push through substantial decisions about the varsity as per statutes that govern its running.

In the letter, the JNUTA has said that the proposal for the medical school and a super specialty hospital in the varsity was not brought up for any prior discussion and that neither was its feasibility discussed. The teachers' association added that no discussion was held with the faculty of the Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health and other related Schools with regards to this proposal.

Alleging that Tuesday's Academic Council meeting was held in "open defiance of several stated procedures", the JNUTA said, "Provision 3 (4) of the University Statute and the Ministry's Department of Higher Education directive vide F. No. 5-5/2020- CU.II dated 19.06.2020, explicitly forbid the outgoing Vice-Chancellor from taking substantive decisions on policy matters, which Prof. Kumar has been brazenly defying by taking major decisions that have a bearing on the future functioning of the university."

The Academic Council on Tuesday also approved the proposal to include NCC as an Elective Credit Course with theory, practical and camps training spread over six semesters with 24 credits for NCC cadets.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) notifications on Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and the exit option after four years of B.Tech in the five-year dual degree programme of School of Engineering were also approved in the Council, JNU said.

"This decision resonates with recommendations and spirit of the National Education Policy. Several other academic courses in the various Schools of JNU were also approved, including courses in Kannada and Odia languages," the varsity's statement said.

On the implementation of the National Education Policy, the Council approved the recommendations of a committee set up to deliberate on the matter.

The JNUTA, however, expressed disappointment with the delay in appointing a regular Vice-Chancellor to the varsity, the process for which was started in October last year. It claimed that V-C Kumar had used this delay to "push through" decisions that under ordinary circumstances would not be allowed.

It sought that the Ministry immediately replace Kumar and appoint a regular V-C, in addition to seeking a meeting with the Minister.