Assam University teachers stage protest on Teachers’ Day, decry election duty impact on academics

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, while the nation celebrated educators, faculty members at Assam University chose to mark the day with a peaceful protest. The protest was part of a nationwide action by teachers and students, driven by concerns over the recurring and extensive drafting of university teachers for election duty. Teachers expressed frustration that these assignments have severely disrupted the academic calendar and negatively impacted the educational environment on campus.

The Assam University Teachers’ Association (AUTA) led the symbolic protest, raising concerns about the prolonged election duties assigned to university educators. These duties, particularly as Assistant Local Management Teams (ALMT) and District Level Monitoring Teams (DLMT), have removed teachers from their classrooms and research work for extended periods. The result, according to AUTA, has been a direct threat to the future of thousands of students enrolled at Assam University, many of whom hail from across the country and abroad. 

One of the key issues highlighted was the mismatch between the assigned election responsibilities and the designations and pay structures of the university teachers. The educators voiced their objection to risky roles such as Flying Squad Teams (FST) and Static Surveillance Teams (SST), which they were assigned during recent elections. AUTA’s general secretary, Dr. Somaditya Dutta, further emphasized the injustice of assigning election duties to senior teachers over the age of 60 and to divyaang (differently-abled) educators. He also called for an exemption from election duty for female faculty members who are single parents or have young children.

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The protest, which lasted an hour and a half, featured mild sloganeering as teachers gathered near the university gate under the September heat. Dr. Pradosh Kiran Nath, the university’s registrar, visited the protest site, offering juice packets to the demonstrators on behalf of Vice Chancellor Prof. R. M. Pant. Assam University Students’ Union (AUSU) president, Shri Subham Roy, also joined the gathering, extending his support to the teachers’ demands.

AUTA president Dr. Debashish Sengupta, currently in Delhi participating in a nationwide protest led by the Federation of Central University Teachers’ Associations (FEDCUTA) against the proposed Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), addressed the gathering via video conference. Other key AUTA office-bearers, including Dr. Somaditya Dutta, vice-president Prof. Mustafizur Rahman, and joint secretary Dr. Barunjyoti Choudhury, also shared their thoughts during the protest. At the conclusion of the event, AUTA submitted a five-point charter of demands to the vice chancellor, outlining the key grievances of the teaching staff.

This protest on Teachers’ Day highlights a growing concern over the administrative burden placed on academic staff, which many argue is detracting from their primary mission of education and research.