Academicians from the field of women’s studies across India have issued a public statement condemning the abrupt termination of staff contracts at the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies (ACWS) at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).
On Tuesday, various individuals and organizations in the field of women’s studies released a statement with over 1,200 signatures demanding the immediate revocation of terminations and regularization of employment, ensuring parity with permanent employees.
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The statement underscores the pivotal role of ACWS in fostering progressive and democratic discourse nationwide, particularly in Mumbai, through its intersectional analysis of patriarchy.
“The faculty, students, and alumni of ACWS have contributed significantly to advancing critical scholarship in women’s studies. The ongoing uncertainty regarding job security, PhD supervision, and course instruction undermines our collective efforts,” the statement read.
Last week, TISS had dismissed without notice over 100 contractual staff members, including teaching and non-teaching, appointed under programmes funded by the Tata Education Trust (TET), citing non-release of funds.
The institute withdrew the sudden dismissal after the trust assured that resources will be made available to the TISS.
However, the termination of contracts of four faculty members from ACWS located on its Mumbai campus have still not been retracted.
