The St. Stephen’s College Staff Association has outrightly rejected principal Valson Thampu’s proposal to amend the 102-year-old constitution of the institution at a meeting on Monday.
The St. Stephen’s College Staff Association has outrightly rejected principal Valson Thampu’s proposal to amend the 102-year-old constitution of the institution at a meeting on Monday. The college’s staff association added that it will also appeal to higher authorities against the move.
A member said that the proposal was discussed during the specially-convened meeting of the staff association and 26 members opposed the move to amend the constitution. “We will appeal to the higher authorities, including the university and the Church of North India (CNI), to consider the repercussions of the amendments and reject the proposal,” he added.
Prof. Thampu, who also came to the meeting for a few minutes, did not answer any questions raised by the teachers regarding the amendments. The principal, who is retiring in February, circulated a draft amendment in which he proposed that the principal be empowered to take disciplinary action against students or staff irrespective of the governing body’s opinion.
He has also called for giving a major say to CNI in the functioning of the college, handing over the faculty appointments and admissions to the supreme council and amending the composition of the governing body.
The amendment also proposes to replace St. Stephen’s College Trust, which currently runs the college, with a proposed St. Stephen’s Educational Society, which will have the power to establish Stephen’s-like private institutions across the country.
“If the amendment is passed, the governing body, which so far takes a call on all important issues, will be reduced to a toothless body. Also with changes in the composition of the governing body, the role of teachers will be marginalised,” said another member of college’s staff association.
The move to amend the constitution has also attracted the ire of the college alumni who criticised the proposal as an attempt to make St. Stephen’s College a Christian ghetto. While university constuitution says that the move to amend the constitution in deviation of the rules laid down in the ordinances, can result in de-recognition of the institution, Prof. Thampu has been claiming that it is the supreme council’s decision to make the amendments and there is no violation of procedures or law in the same.
The amendment draft will be placed before the governing body meeting on November 30.
