Azim Premji University saw its first ever Student Council elections in September of last year. The elections were to elect student representatives into 8 committees, namely committees for the Residences, Food, Inclusion and Diversity, Programme Office, Sports, Health, Placements, and Sustainability, supposedly put in place to address the needs of the students of the university. Post-election, it has become very clear to the students that there is a huge gap in the promised “democratic representation” of the council and its actual implementation.
Just more than a month after the body was elected, one of the elected representatives submitted their resignation, exposing the grand failure of the structure. The student cited frustration with the functioning of the council and the administrative structures that control its actions. Those who contested and/or participated actively in the election process had hopes that the elected body would open up active spaces for redressal of serious structural issues of the university. The reality has dawned on the students.
The Constitution governing the student council had been under work for more than three years, undergoing multiple iterations (rejecting multiple students’ drafts that had put emphasis on the active participation of the students in the decision-making process), before finally getting approved by the registrar and vice chancellor. After admin interference, the final scope of the elected body was clearly defined: it was meant to be a bridge between the admin and the student body; where the council members would carry the voice of the administration to the students, and not the other way around.
The elected council, full of promise of democratic values, a space to voice out students’ demands for larger structural changes, has been reduced to a body of elected volunteers, put in place to carry out tasks that the admin deems as the need of the hour. And most often than not, the tasks are organising and managing events and projects that are far from the genuine demands that the students have been raising. As pointed out by the student who handed in their resignation, there was little the representatives could do than just attending meetings, giving ideas, especially on issues that seemed trivial. The university boasts of a vibrant campus space with student engagement, but when it comes to grievances and their redressal, everything is hidden under the rug. General Body Meetings are called once in a while where students might get a chance to voice their complaints. The points raised are immediately shut down by the members of the administration with multiple justifications and diplomatic answers. There was even a recent news article that praised the university for its “efficient” handling of the mental health of students. This PR stunt is in stark contrast to reality. A student died by suicide in 2023 November inside APU by jumping from the hostel building. This is the reality, which is that there are not enough resources to handle the mental health crises students are having, and the blanket policy by the university is to send back home any student who is having critical mental health, with no regards to the needs of the student. Senseless rules are put in place to prevent fostering healthy relationships between students themselves; an example for this is that day scholars are not allowed to enter the hostel, even if it is for an emergency.
Despite so many committees put in place, issues of grave importance like sexual harassment, caste discrimination, declining mental health, academic pressure are all outside the scopes of the committees. Every year there is an increase in fees and reduction of intake of scholarship students. Where can the students raise this? Students’ demand for transparency in the finances of the University are also rejected blatantly. At the beginning of every academic year, students are forced to sign a “scholarship agreement”, an undemocratic document that states that the administration has the right to take away the scholarship of students without any justification, without any notice. Scholarship students were practically threatened during the shuttle fee movement that happened in February 2023. 12 students, all on scholarship, mostly on 100%, were cherry-picked from the big crowd of students who were protesting against the unjust shuttle fees, and were threatened with Disciplinary Action, called in to meet administration members alone, and made to submit a written apology. These actions expose the classist nature of the admin, where economically vulnerable students are not allowed to exercise their democratic rights, and that the right to dissent is only for those who are not availing the “favours” or “charity” that the university is providing. Free and quality education is a fundamental right. We have to understand that Azim Premji’s “charity” money is made only through the exploitation of human labour, natural resources, from various tax cuts, and looting the people’s money.
Despite the existence of a Food Committee, the quality of food in the cafeterias has worsened, while the prices have risen significantly. The demands are met with justifications that favour the profits of the vendor more than the affordability and health of the students consuming the food. Every year, the intake of students is increasing multifold. This unplanned way of intake has resulted in a deficiency of classrooms, and now, classes are being conducted at 6.30 PM to 8 PM at night. There is neither student representation nor any transparency in the bodies that look into sexual harassment (PoSH), Anti-Discrimination Cell, Disciplinary Committee, etc. that have had serious affects on the well-being of students on campus, nor do students have any say in the decisions of matters that directly impact them significantly. Where can we raise these serious issues? None of the committees are allowed to bring these issues into their agenda during elections or after. Students will be able to effectively make conditions of the university better only if there is student representation in these bodies.
The rapid increase in fees, suppressing dissent, increased bureaucracy, etc. have all revealed how the university is following the path of elite universities. APU started as a philanthropic model, heavily advertising on its scholarship schemes. But, now it seems like the model has shifted to a profit-model like Ashoka and Jindal.
It is not just the students who face issues here. Faculty who take a pro-student stance are hounded and forced to quit. The workers, most being contractual, have to bear long working hours, unhealthy working conditions, for very low wages.
This council is an example of a tokenistic “democracy”. From the formation of the election cell to the formation of the council, the process has been very opaque and undemocratic. The council, supposedly for the students, by the students, has more representatives from the administration. All these are in place so that the administration can brush its hands off of serious structural issues that are in place, justifying the existence of a council that, ironically, cannot address any of them. Azim Premji University with its grand motto of working “towards a just, equitable, humane, and sustainable society” stands in stark contrast to the lived reality of the students, faculty and workers in its own campus space. This is the reality of such philanthropic initiatives. Students, faculty, and workers are all bound to the whims and fancies of the administration that actively keeps depriving the people of democratic rights and agencies. They ensure there are no mechanisms to hold them accountable.
Hence, student unions are vital for fostering active participation in governance, ensuring that students have a voice in decisions that impact their lives. Councils, like the one at APU, often act as limiting, puppet-like bodies under administrative control. In our larger fight for universal, free education, struggles for democratic representation and decision-making power within institutions like these remain crucial.
