Tezpur University Research Scholar Forum Organizes May Day Discussion

Marking International Labour Day with a strong message of academic solidarity, a group of research scholars from across disciplines at Tezpur University came together to form the Research Scholars Forum. The initiative aimed to address a range of pressing issues faced by scholars and academic workers across the institution.

The absence of a collective platform to represent research scholars had long been a concern, with students regularly voicing grievances in informal settings. Key issues raised included delays in fellowship disbursal, unpaid academic responsibilities, cuts to contingency funds, inadequate support for non-NET fellows, poor research infrastructure, and prohibitively high admission fees. Despite the widespread nature of these challenges, students said concrete institutional action had been lacking.

Beyond these immediate concerns, the forum also sought to highlight broader structural problems plaguing academia, including the contractualisation of teaching roles, arbitrary dismissal of guest faculty, and the increasing reliance on unpaid labour under the guise of teaching assistantships.

Speaking to this reporter, the forum’s convenors emphasized that the initiative marked a first step toward building a collective voice. “We believed any meaningful change begins with open conversations and sustained dialogue. Only through unity and mutual understanding could these long-standing issues be addressed,” they said.

By launching the forum on Labour Day, the group aimed to underscore the shared struggles of academic workers, from research scholars to teaching staff, and foster cross-group solidarity within the university community.

“We wanted to draw attention to the real conditions faced by academic workers today. This was just the beginning of a shared journey toward a more just, supportive, and equitable academic environment,” a statement from the forum read.

The initiative had already garnered interest from scholars across departments, with further meetings and consultations planned in the following weeks.

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