Faculty members of IIT Bombay planning to invite external speakers or to screen documentaries or movies shall have to take prior approval from the head of the academic unit, according to new rules decried by teachers and students as an assault on academic freedom.
Till now, the faculty members were free to invite guest speakers and organise events related to topics they teach. Many events, particularly on topics related to social science, have been criticised by certain students and also Right-wing elements who come across video clips on social media.
A Right-wing group held a protest in front of the main gate of IIT Bombay on Saturday against the screening of the documentary Arna’s Children and a lecture by a guest speaker that they claimed glorified the Hamas attack on Israel. In response, the institute on Tuesday issued interim guidelines on holding events on the campus.
“While IIT Bombay encourages free and open discussion on educational subjects, it must also remain apolitical in all its endeavors. Hence it is imperative that our students, faculty and staff members stay away from activities/ events on campus that may invite socio-political controversies, diverting IIT from its primary mission, or may bring IIT Bombay into disrepute,” the guidelines say.
The guidelines add: “Heads may approve the speaker(s)/ videos if they judge that the talk/ video has no political content and is not potentially controversial. Otherwise they must get approval from the External Speaker Review (ESR) committee in advance.”
The director will constitute an ESR committee which will review the details of the speakers and videos, including speaker bio, abstract of the talk, public links on the speaker and talks, and copies of recorded materials to be played at the event. This information must be provided by the faculty member who is hosting the event.
Two faculty members said such guidelines would imperil discussions on many apolitical topics, including climate change and pollution, policy issues and most matters related to social science and economics.
“Instead of standing up for what people teach and what is fair and scientific, they have issued the most spineless piece of advice. At least the institute should stand up for academic freedom instead of telling people to stay away from controversies,” said one of the teachers.
The teacher said the guidelines amount to controlling the academic activities of faculty members.
“This is unheard of in any university that values academic freedom. This is interference in academic matters. Who is this committee to judge what is controversial and what is not, what is acceptable and what is not?” he said.
IIT Bombay has already framed code of conduct rules for employees that say no staff member shall make any statement that "may embarrass" the relations between the institute and the central government, the guidelines said.
The faculty member said the code of conduct for staff was feudal, outdated and should never be imposed on academics.
The guidelines reiterated that protests of any form, including marches or gatherings on campus, would require prior permission from the institute and the local police. Students will need official permission to organise any event on campus, the guidelines said.
A research scholar said research students of social sciences mostly dealt with topcis related to society and politics. “We are worried if we will be allowed to complete our research,” the student said. “These guidelines are meant to curb academic thought and engagement in free discussion and debate.”
Last updated on 16 Nov 2023
