more-in Mumbai: Students of Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) continued their strike for the third consecutive day as talks with the administration failed to yield results. The administration has so far agreed to one of their demands after negotiations with a delegation of students which went on until late on Thursday night. “We had said that SC/ST students of the 2016-18 batch will not have to pay dining hall charges immediately and they can pay it once their scholarship amount comes, even after they graduate. For the 2017-19 batch we had said that we will try to find alternate modes of financing, however we cannot commit to the same as yet,” Prof P.K Shahjahan, Dean of Student Affairs, TISS, said. Meanwhile, through a press release, TISS denied it has withdrawn all forms of financial aid to students belonging to SC, ST and OBC communities, and said it was “continuing to follow all government guidelines on student welfare.” After holding discussions at the TISS main gate on Thursday night, the students decided to continue the strike on Friday. Several senior faculty members and the SC/ST Employees’ Welfare Association at TISS came out in support of the students and addressed them on Friday afternoon. “In their address, the faculty members told us to continue with the agitation till our demands were met,” Fahad Ahmed, general secretary of TISS Students’ Union said. Many of the faculty members were also part of the TISS Faculty Union. A senior faculty member was quite firm about the position of the faculty. “The teachers and the academic community at TISS is committed to the students’ cause. An institution like TISS with its long commitment to social justice should not give up on finding alternative ways. I do not believe that it can’t be done. There needs to be a will and effort to get it done,” he said.

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