12/05/2015
An Open Letter To The Teaching Faculty And Students Of St.Xavier's College,(Junior and Degree college) Mumbai
THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT SHIFTING OF JUNIOR COLLEGE.
Fr. Frazer Mascerhanas SJ. Principal, St.Xavier's College,Mumbai, has on 4th May’ 2015 posted mail on the official website of the college purpotedly to counter what he ostensibly though erroneously perceives to be adverse publicity and misinformation in the media and to provide what he calls “accurate information” to the faculty members and students in particular and public in general. Ironically though this mail of Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is a gospel of doublespeak, half truths, and a damage control exercise of a situation created solely out of his making arising out of his stoic refusal and utter disdain to initiate and have any meaningful discussion on the subject with any one concerned. Fr. Frazer Masceranhas perceives himself as uniquely virtuous, exceptional and wise and all others as venal who need to be stopped maliciously for interfering. Importantly Fr. Frazer Masceranhas as is implicit in his mail has cleanly conceded that in the present day for the Society of Jesus imparting of education is now commerce to be looked at solely from the point of monetary consideration and no more a matter of service. It is not well known that Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is also a person who has been reprimanded by the National Minorities Commission in the past for holding college terminal examinations on the day of Eid ul Adha (Bakr-Eid) two years ago. Perhaps before posting the mail Fr. Frazer Mascerhanas has not read the famous quote of Mark Twain who said:
“GET YOUR FACTS FIRST, THEN YOU CAN DISTORT THEM AS YOU PLEASE”.
So what are the facts. Let us get our facts first. The facts are:
1) Since the year 1976 there endures an umbilical link between the St Xavier’s College and the Junior College. It is an undeniable fact that ever since inception the personality of Junior College has integrated, coalesced and merged with the institution and become synonymous with St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. For Fr. Frazer Masceranhas separating the child from the mother is indeed a petty issue.
2) St Xavier’s Degree College, Mumbai was granted autonomy in the year 2010. At that time serious concerns were raised by the faculty members of the Junior College about its impact and fall out on the status of the Junior College. Then and all throughout thereafter Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has given priestly assurances to the effect that the Junior College status will not in any manner be affected or impaired while going in for autonomy for the institution. But he has no compunction to now proudly proclaim that he has never given such assurances and come up with the excuse of autonomy to jusity his action.
3) The degree college is about to complete five years of autonomy in June 2015 following which it is required to be renewed. The college has applied for renewal. A committee from Ahmedbad visited the college in the month of November’ 2014 to review the working of autonomy during the last four and half years. After taking into account all factors such as academic progress, results, research,management-staff relationship, views/opinion of the staff and students, the committee has submitted a report which is not favouravble about the functioning of autonomy over the past four and half years. Fr. Frazer Masceranhas who swears by transparency and in providing accurate information has not as he has done now made this report public but surprisingly concealed this report.
4) Rather than addresssing the problems and factors which in the view of the committee is not favourable about the functioning of the autonomy Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is attempting to cover up the shortcomings by attempting to deflect the issue by vivisection of the Junior College from the Senior College and by shifting it to St Xavier’s High School, with effect from June’ 2016.
5) Fr. Frazer Masceranhas called for a Parents of FYJC students on 11th April’ 2015. The agenda for the meeting held on 11th April’ 2015 was ostensibly formation of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). The reason proffered for doing so was a government circular of the year 2014. The PTA was never constituted earlier but sought to be suddenly and hastily formed only at the very fag end of the academic year which was to come to an end in about a fortnight’s time. Only about 25-30 numbers of parents called were present in this meeting when in fact the total strength of students of the Junior College is about 650 in FYJC and 650 in SYJC (Total strength of junior college students is approximately 1300). In this meeting Fr. Frazer Masceranhas made the sudden and unilateral decision to shift the Junior College to the campus of St Xavier’s High School ,Fort,from June’ 2016 though this was not on the agenda. By doing so Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has sought to lacerate the existing umbilical cord and exterminate the umbilical link between the Junior and the Senior College.
6) The parents’ representatives were not elected to the PTA but chosen by draw of lots. Leave alone any election there was not even any mention for electing teachers representatives. At the end of the meeting Fr. Frazer Masceranhas asked four teachers viz. Jayant Prabhu and Adil Ghiara from the Chemistry Department and Vaishali Mohini and Vidya Hegde from the Economics Department to attend the meeting of the executive committee that was to be held in the Board room and hastily drafted a resolution and bamboozled his way to get it adopted. Even Mr.Prabhu and Mr.Ghiara ,two of the four teachers who were made to sign the above resolution at the meeting, later protested in writing against the manner in which the entire exercise was conducted.
7) In this manner procedures and rules and regulations were thrown to the wind in selection of teachers and parents representatives on the PTA by Fr. Frazer Masceranhas. The PTA so formed is not validly constituted and has no representative character. The decisions taken by such an invalidly constituted PTA, constituted as it is on the whims and fancies of Fr. Frazer Masceranhas, cannot and does not have any force and effect and its decision cannot and shall not be binding on any one.
8) Ironically, the parents who were called by Fr. Frazer Masceranhas and present in the meeting and to whom the announcement was made do not have any stake at all nor can they have any say in the matter. This is because the decision to shift the Junior College in no manner affects their wards who will continue studying in the college on the same campus as they have done earlier. The affected students will be those who will enroll themselves from the coming academic year, and the teaching staff who are the equal partners in running of the instituion who were neither informed nor consulted in the matter. Even the statutory school committee was given a go bye.
9) The Junior College teaching staff undoubtedly is an equal partner in the running of the Junior College and it cannot be denied that they are also definitely the affected parties. Those who need to be consulted are the not the parents of outgoing students but the teaching staff and the students who will enrol from the next academic year. They have been kept out of the discussion and decision making process on a matter that concerns them the most. No prior discussion and debate has been held with the teaching staff on this topic in any of the staff meetings of the Junior College held from time to time. No teacher was even asked or given an opportunity to express their views in the meeting held on 11th April’ 2015 or informed in advance of the impending announcement. In a nutshell leave alone involving or consulting the teaching staff Fr. Frazer Masceranhas as the head of the institution did not care to even extend the bare courtesy to at least inform the Junior College teachers of the impending announcement to be made by him in the meeting. Certainly, discussions and consultations with the students to be affected can only be held in the next academic session and not in this academic session. The entire episode it shall be crystal clear has been stage managed in a secretive ,random and adhoc manner, is undemocratic and lacks in transparency and Fr. Frazer Masceranhas now has brazenly and falsely claimed in his mail to have arrived at the decision after proper consultation with all concerned.
10) Presently Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is only an outgoing principal about to demit office imminently. It would only have been in the fitness of things and apposite for an outgoing principal not to announce a decision of such far reaching and wider ramifications. More so as it concerns those students who will join the college only in the month of July’ 2015 when he will not be around at the helm. Probably, as the incumbent though outgoing Principal, Fr. Frazer Masceranhas had intentions to bull doze and foist his will upon the incoming new principal by presenting the next Principal with a fait accompli. There was absolutely no need for Fr. Frazer Masceranhas to announce the decision in such a haste as the Government/Education Department has not asked for segregation and shifting of the Junior College to a new campus. Ideally the decision should have been left for the next Principal as on his own showing the decision is to come into effect from the academic year 2016. The affected students will be from the next batch and not the present batch of students. Thus by holding the meeting on 11th April’ 2015 with about 25 parents of students of the present batch Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has only attempted to create a façade of impression of having purportedly consulted in the matter.
11) Fr. Frazer Masceranhas’ arbitrary ways of functioning is wellknown in the Junior College. The present case is a glaring example of his style of functioning. The announcement made by him is also ill-considered and ill-informed. It is worth appreciating that as an outgoing principal on the verge of demitting office very shortly Fr. Frazer Masceranhas cannot take such a major decision concerning the future and that too in a blatantly arbitrary,ham-handed, un-transparent and undemocratic manner without any wide ranging and constructive discussions not only with the teaching faculty but also with the students to be enrolled in the next academic session who would be affected parties.
12) All these facts have been brought to the notice of Fr. Frazer Masceranhas vide letter dated 21st April, 2015 addressed to him by the members of the teaching faculty of the Junior College. In yet another letter dated 27th April 2015, the junior college teachers have urged the Principal to revert the decision of shifting the junior college as annunced by him at the Parent's meeting.Though Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has posted mail on the official website of the college he has conveniently ignored the letters and has not cared to reply to the same. Why is Fr. Frazer Masceranhas silent on these issues? Why has he not answered these questions either by replying to the letters addressed to him or in his mail? Why is he not answering the question as to urgency in announcing the decision on 11th April’ 2015 when on his own showing it is to come into effect on from the academic year 2016.
13) The mail posted by Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is an afterthought and a face saving exercise to cover up his faults. It is also an attempt to spread canards to the valid objections raised and to mislead and influence the government officials who will be conducting the enquiry ordered in to the episode by the Hon’ble Minister for Education,Maharashtra Government. The claim of transperancy made by Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is rather amusing. If Fr. Frazer Masceranhas was indeed transparent why he did not earlier post a mail about the impending proposal and elicit responses from all concerned to be affected by the decision. Why did Fr. Frazer Masceranhas in the lenghty meeting with the Senior and Junior College teaching Staff held on 30th April’ 2015 not initiate a discussion on the subject? Why did Fr. Frazer Masceranhas in the meeting with the Junior College teachers held on 27th April’ 2015 evade and not discuss the isssue thread bare with them?. If Fr. Frazer Masceranhas was all along aware of the UGC regulation why did he not discuss the issue with the teaching faculty for all this period of five years. Fr. Frazer Masceranhas also needs to explain how is the PTA competent to endorse a decision about the relocation of the college?
14) In his mail Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has sought to put forth the following counter:
a) That by shifting there will only be a change of location in keping with the UGC requirement and nothing else. That the adjoining campus of St Xavier’s School has now developed the required infrastructure for the Junior College and thus the Junior College students will not be at a disadvantage. That even though relocated the junior College will continue under the administration of the college.
The answer is that the casual and cryptic nature of the statement shows the lack of concern and insensitivity on the part of Fr. Frazer Masceranhas. He views it merely in a mechanical manner least concerned with the emotional break up and upheavel that will arise within the family. What about the infrastructure ? Does he have the required number of classrooms,laboratories,Library,Office,auditorium,multimedia/AV rooms, common rooms for students and staff,toilets and canteen for 1300 students and 30 teachers in the new building on the school campus?Why is he not addressing the question of safety of girl students ( around 900-950 girls) in the junior college, once they are shifted to a building on the same campus with a Boys' School? Why is he not responding to the question related to the unmanned thoroughfare between the College and the School? Whose property is that land and how safe that would be for the young girls to cross the corridor which has hutments on both sides of the passage? Why is the Principal not addressing the apprehensions raised by the staff about the likely drop in admission to the junior college from 2016 onwards and its adverse impact on staff workload and service conditions? To satisfy his own ego Fr. Frazer Masceranhas is willing to crucify others.
b) That in the year 1977 when the plus two system was introduced because of shortage of space the Junior Colleges were located on the Senior College campus. That the Junior Colleges are not part of the University but administratively are under the school board whereas the degree colleges come under the university and the UGC. That the academic time table and atmosphere required for Junior College students is similar to that of the schools and even the dates of vacations are different from university dates. That Karnataka State has made it mandatory to shift the Junior College out of the University campus a couple of years ago.
The answer is that in the city of Mumbai or for that matter in the whole State Junior Colleges are overwhelmingly located in senior college campuses. Such location does not impede other institutions in offering growing number of courses, facilitating quality research activities and offering quality post graduate courses. After 38 years now it has suddenly dawnwd on Fr. Frazer Masceranhas that the presence of Junior College is impeding imparting of quality education by the instituion an implicit acknowledgement of the fact that the instituion has not been rendering quality education all these years. The analogy of Karnataka cited by Fr. Frazer Masceranhas does not apply here. The policy of Karnataka is not applicable to the State of Maharashtra and St Xavier’s College, Mumbai is not situated in Karnataka. Why does Fr. Frazer Masceranhas does not cite the examples of St Xavier’s College, Ranchi which went autonomous much before St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. It still has intermediate classes affiliated to the State Board attached to the Degree College on the same campus. This is also true of St Xavier’s College, Kolkata too. St Xavier’s College,Kolkata and Ranchi , though autonomous, are not impeded in offering growing number of courses, facilitating quality research activities and offering quality post graduate courses then why not implement the Kolkata and Ranchi model and needlessly talk about the Karnataka model. Fr. Frazer Masceranhas speaks only half the truth when he suggests that the academic calendar of the Junior College is different from that of the senior college. The complete and whole truth is that in keeping with his style of functioning Fr. Frazer Masceranhas has framed his own academic calender which is different from the one framed by education department which he is bound to follow but similar to the university calender. Let Fr. Frazer Masceranhas deny this so that letters addressed by him under his signature defending the academic calender framed can be posted for more transperancy. Talking about the atmosphere,let Fr. Frazer Masceranhas explain how the degree college atmosphere is harmful or detrimental to the Junior College students. Is Fr. Frazer Masceranhas trying to suggest that the degree college students of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai are not ideal role models for the Junior College students and worthy of emulation or that they have a deleterious effect on the Junior College students?????????
c) That the Junior College has over the years enjoyed the companionship of the Senior College and therefore should not grudge the relocation now.
The answer is that the companionship was and is a necessity and compulsion from the point of view of continuity and intake at the entry point in Degree College, particularly in the Arts stream. The companionship is not because of any mercy, charity or largesse on the part of the management. This companionship in the last 38 years has not come in the way of the instituion imparting what it calls as quality education then why sever the unbilical link now?.
d) That St Xavier’s College has a small campus and is acutely short of space for growing number of courses and research activities and the campus can be utilised for quality post graduate courses.
This claim is factually incorrect as enough space is available and can be further created by shifting those units from the campus which are not a part of mainstream education.The real reason and intention to shift the Junior College is not academic but commercial (to start unaided/self financed courses). Every institution evolves for better or for worse over a period of time. It is but natural for the Jesuit priests to proclaim the pre-eminent character at the drop of a hat and to conduct themselves in a manner so as to suggest that there is no world beyond St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. But the reality is otherwise. The world does not begin and end with Xavier’s and there is also a world in existence beyond Xavier’s. It cannot be denied that there are many other academic institutions in Mumbai or for that matter in the entire country which if not better are as comparable to Xavier’s. At some point of time in its life St Xavier’s College, Mumbai was indeed a prestigious institution manned as it was by towering Jesuit personalities who were men of calibre and character.Can the same be said about the Jesuits of today?Let Fr.Frazer Masceranhas answer and list the independent research activities undertaken by the faculty of the Senior College in the last about five years of autonomous existence. Let Fr. Frazer Masceranhas also list the achievements of autonomy which is his brain child and baby. Fr.Frazer must not forget that St.Xavier's Junior College is the foundation on which the superstructure of Autonomy has been erected. By removing the foundation he would be destroying the entire edifice of Autonomy.
15) Fr. Frazer Masceranhas should appreciate:
“Sitaron se age jahan aur bhi hain abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain” (There are yet more worlds beyond the Stars. There are more examinations that love has yet to surpass).
He talks about college with a potential for excellence but by his actions is making a college with a potential for self destruction. He needs to ponder over his actions and shun the confrontationist posture adopted by him.
As Fyodor Dostoyevsky in his famous book “Crime and Punishment” concludes:
“A man who has repented for his sins is holier than the man who has never sinned at all”.
He though need not be reminded about these famous lines:
"What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world but loses his soul"? Counting on your support.
- Members of Junior College Teaching Faculty
