TISS dismisses 55 faculty members, 60 non-teaching staff over lack of funds to pay salaries: Report

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) reportedly fired 55 faculty members and nearly 60 non-teaching staff members without prior notice on June 28. 

The dismissed staff, including some who had been working at the institute for over a decade, were all contractual employees and the reason given for their dismissal was the non-receipt of grants from the Tata Education Trust, which was funding their salaries, Indian Express reported. 

An email from the officiating registrar’s office stated that efforts to secure grant extensions had been unsuccessful, leading to the immediate cessation of their services effective June 30. 

Teaching staff affected due to non-receipt of grants - 20 from Mumbai, 15 from Hyderabad, 14 from Guwahati, and six from Tuljapur campuses. The remaining teaching staff on TISS campuses are permanent faculty members on the University Grants Commission (UGC) payroll. 

“All these positions were created under various schools and centres run by TISS on the basis of funding from the Tata Education Trust. Most of us have been working for as many as 10-15 years, including in positions of responsibilities such as centre heads. We are unsure how the institute plans to run the courses after this arbitrary dismissal of such a large number of employees without having an alternative ready,” a faculty member from the Mumbai campus was quoted as saying by The Indian Express report. 

According to the report, the faculty members believe the recent changes in UGC regulations, effective since last June, have affected TISS. These regulations now oversee appointments at TISS and similar universities funded mostly by the central government. 

“The institute tried its best for the release of grant from Tata Education Trust for the purpose of salary. The institute made several attempts for the release of grant through official correspondence and personal meetings with the Tata Education Trust and the decision regarding further extension of grant period has not yet been received from Tata Education Trust,” according to an email sent by the office of the officiating registrar, Anil Sutar, quoted by the Indian Express. 

However, TISS administration denies any direct connection between these regulations and the recent staff dismissals. 

The situation has prompted the TISS Teachers Association to convene urgently, highlighting broader concerns about the institute’s ability to maintain academic standards and operational continuity in the wake of such mass layoffs. 

TISS has indicated plans to explore hourly employment for affected faculty and to prepare for regular appointments to sustain academic programs if funding challenges persist. The institute's management has also raised the possibility of seeking alternative funding sources to mitigate the impact of the funding shortfall.