Protests continued at Ahmedabad’s National Institute of Design (NID) for a third day on Wednesday against newly-appointed director Ashok Mondal’s reshuffle of key department heads and removal of six women from their positions.
Students and faculty members opposed the changes saying they lacked transparency and caused disruptions before the end of the current semester.
The NID assigned new responsibilities for department heads via email two days after Mondal assumed office on Friday last. On Monday, students dressed in black began their protest outside his office.
Mondal sought to placate the protesters at an interaction that seemed to only heightened tensions. Two students and a faculty member, who attended the interaction, quoted Mondal as saying he believed women were “good at teaching but not in administrative roles”. The comment came in response to a question about his decision to remove six women heads of departments. The students protested and asked Mondal if he believed women were incapable of multitasking. In response, Mondal purportedly accused the students of trying to “divert the topic,” insisting that there was no gender bias in the reshuffle.
A student said the protests will continue as Mondal seems to be in no mood to reverse his ill-timed and disastrous decision. “There are around 800 students on the campus who are against him. The reshuffle is like someone has suddenly asked a maths teacher to start teaching painting. And all this is happening when we are about a week away from the semester-end exam or juries as they are called.”
Students planned to put up posters against Mondal’s decisions on Wednesday. “The posters will reflect our concerns, highlighting how these changes could disrupt our studies and overall academic environment,” said a second student.
In an email to the NID community on Tuesday, Mondal said rotation of administrative roles and responsibilities is done periodically to re-distribute faculty workload so that some of them are not excessively burdened, affecting their teaching. “It is also necessary to respect the diversity of faculty talent, giving opportunity for younger faculty to grow and contribute to institutional development. While this is usually done during academic breaks, the present rotation of responsibilities was long overdue due to interim arrangements during the transition period,” wrote Mondal, who did not respond to HT’s calls or text messages requesting his comments.
In an email to Mondal, the Student Affairs Council of NID Ahmedabad wrote the abrupt reassignment of faculty members without prior notice or consultation has left many questioning the criteria and process behind these decisions. “The announcement of these changes on a Sunday, with an expectation of immediate adaptation, has been challenging for the students to say the least…”
The students said they rely on consistent access to experienced mentors and faculty who understand the specific needs of their disciplines. “The recent changes have disrupted ongoing projects, guidance, and mentorship, raising concerns about the smooth transitioning of the faculty into their newly assigned roles as well as our future adaptation of these changes.”
The removal of six women heads of departments and faculty and assigning of positions mostly unrelated to their expertise particularly angered students. The students argued that sudden leadership changes, without regard for subject expertise, will severely affect their preparation for end-of-semester projects.
Pravin Solanki, who headed the furniture design department, has been transferred to the exhibition design department. Former exhibition design head Tanishka Kachru was removed from her position. Students fear the changes will compromise the quality of academic mentorship in both departments.