The Aligarh Muslim University Teacher’s Association (AMUTA) has noted that despite almost a year of the new university administration taken charge; teachers still do not have any idea of the outline of their vision for the university.

AMUTA says that it is being compelled to conclude that ad-hocism is the rule and there is no consistency in the policies being pursued. However, what is alarming and sad, it says, is that anti-academic policies are not only continuing but being strengthened. The association says it is being pushed into adopting a semester system without analysis why it failed in AMU. The semester system was introduced in AMU in 1967 and continued for two decades.

The association also says that in a parallel move admission tests for all undergraduate and graduate courses have been pushed through without debate.

Highlighting the issues of accessibility to educational opportunities, it says that not many lower income group candidates even from Uttar Pradesh would be able to afford a trip to Aligarh for B.A. admission test that would also charge a higher fee for the test. The association asks for a total relook at the policy of holding admission tests.

Association has also pointed out some new developments that seem to be anti- teacher policies in the future. It says there are systematic efforts at muzzling of contrary and inconvenient viewpoints, the emasculation of dissent and the efforts at intimidation of open expressions of genuine disagreement by issuing of verbal and in some cases written admonishments which can lead to criminalizing expressions that are disliked by the administration.

It also points out at the slow pace of physical development work on the campus. Also, the residential buildings require minimum maintenance efforts, the administration unfortunately has no time for maintaining the facilities that were the bare minimum to start with.