Amidst criticism of selecting “undeserving” Christian teachers, St Stephen’s college on Thursday sought to rubbish the allegation levelled by some former students as an attempt to malign the institution’s image and asserted that all the appointments were made in a “transparent” manner.
“The college laments the uninformed designs of certain malicious and misguided elements to malign their alma mater presumably to seek public attention for themselves. It regrets the attempt to impart a communal spin to a technical and transparent procedure,” said college spokesperson Karen Gabriel.
The Old Stephanians Association, which is not recognised by the college, had alleged that seven out of the eight teachers appointed during the March were Christians. “The Stephanians are aghast with the way the principal has used the canard of minority rights and protection of interests of Christians by deliberately selecting undeserving teachers just because they belong to a certain minority community,” the association had said on Tuesday.
Its statement was also marked to the Chairman of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, General Secretary, Synod, Church of North India and Secretary, Diocese of Delhi and reputed college alumni, including former CEC SY Quraishi, former Delhi lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin and politicians Shashi Tharoor and Mani Shankar Aiyar, to seek their intervention in the issue.
Gabriel, however, maintained that the college has made the appointments in accordance with due procedures. “All appointments are made in strict compliance with the procedures and principles laid down, and in a transparent manner. The selection panel comprises nine members, all of whom are distinguished academics, alumni or intellectuals. All panelists have been appointed as per guidelines of the varsity,” she said. “All selections so far have been unanimous. No one in the college community has any misgivings or unhappiness concerning the selections and appointments made so far,” she added.
The college was recently in the news after the principal banned the student-run webzine for not seeking his clearance on the content before publishing and had appointed a one-man disciplinary committee.