Exam postponed, hostels closed, teachers point out in Osmania University

Hyderabad: Osmania University Teachers Association (OUTA), condemned the “sudden and unilateral decision” of Osmania University authorities expressing their inability to host the Indian Science Congress at the last minute.

The Vice Chancellor had informed the Indian Science Congress Association and the press that they were not in a position to host the 105th Indian Science Congress scheduled due to certain issues in the campus, alleged OUTA.

The association said the stature of the university would take an “irrecoverable beating” with the decision. It condemned the sudden and unilateral decision.
OUTA demanded that the university reconsider its decision and host the congress as scheduled so that its image is not tarnished.

The association alleged that for the last four months about 20 committees consisting of faculty members had been working relentlessly for the ISC. Many of them had completed a major part of their assigned tasks. The inability expressed by the Vice Chancellor to host the congress had rendered all their efforts useless, it said.

OUTA president Prof. Battu Satyanarayana said, “In the 105-year history of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) it has never been postponed barely two weeks before it was to commence. ‘Security problems’ at the University are being blamed for the postponement of the event, whereas the university is functioning normally and peacefully. Citing the Indian Science Congr-ess as a reason, the semester examinations were postponed and the messes on the campus are closed. Because of this, the academic calendar of the university is disturbed’’.

He added, “about 16,000 delegates have registered to participate in the congress after paying the registration fees and have made their travel and accommodation arrangements. A number of Bhatnagar awardees, Nobel laureates and plenary speakers, ISCA awardees and eminent personalities had expressed their consent to participate in the congress.”

“Postponing the ISC undermines the reputation of the university as this event is being hosted as a part of centenary celebrations,” he said. The students, research scholars, faculty members and ot-her stakeholders were “greatly pained”, he said. The university had hosted the congress successfully five times without any problem’’, Prof. Satyanarayana said.