Latest news with #AUT
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Union slams T.N. govt. decision to move Supreme Court on career advancement scheme for guest lecturers
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) has expressed concern over the actions by the Directorate of Collegiate Education on the implementation of the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for faculty of aided colleges. In an official release, AUT general secretary K. Raja said: 'On one hand, the Commissioner of Collegiate Education issued a letter on June 9, instructing all Regional Joint Directors to urgently submit updated CAS-related data of eligible teachers by June 10. This communication clearly signalled the Government's affirmative intention to proceed with the long-overdue CAS promotions with monetary benefits, offering hope and justice to thousands of eligible teachers in aided colleges. 'Surprisingly, in a completely contradictory move, a communication dated June 16 addressed to A. Muraliraj, assistant professor of Mathematics, Urumu Dhanalakshmi College, Tiruchi, reveals that the government has chosen to challenge a favourable High Court judgment in the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) with a motive to deny CAS monetary benefits due to the teachers. This action directly undermines the rightful claims of teachers, seeking career progression and represents a serious breach of trust.' The association demanded immediate withdrawal of the SLP and urged the authorities to honour the High Court verdict. 'The Career Advancement Scheme is a statutory right, not a privilege. Any attempt to delay or deny this right adversely affects the morale, dignity, and academic integrity of the teaching community,' the release said.
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Former New Zealand PM Helen Clark Blames Cook Islands For Creating A Crisis
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark believes the Cook Islands, a realm of New Zealand, caused a crisis for itself by not consulting Wellington before signing a deal with China. The New Zealand government has paused more than $18 million in development assistance to the Cook Islands after the latter failed to provide satisfactory answers to Aotearoa's questions about its partnership agreement with Beijing. The Cook Islands is in free association with New Zealand and governs its own affairs. But New Zealand provides assistance with foreign affairs (upon request), disaster relief, and defence. The 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration signed between the two nations requires them to consult each other on defence and security, which Winston Peters said had not been honoured. Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown both have a difference of opinion on the level of consultation required between the two nations on such matters. "There is no way that the 2001 declaration envisaged that Cook Islands would enter into a strategic partnership with a great power behind New Zealand's back," Clark told RNZ Pacific on Thursday. Clark was a signatory of the 2001 agreement with the Cook Islands as New Zealand prime minister at the time. "It is the Cook Islands government's actions which have created this crisis," she said. "The urgent need now is for face-to-face dialogue at a high level to mend the NZ-CI relationship." Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has downplayed the pause in funding to the Cook Islands during his second day of his trip to China. Brown told parliament on Thursday (Wednesday, Cook Islands time) that his government knew the funding cut was coming. He also suggested a double standard, pointing out that New Zealand has entered also deals with China that the Cook Islands was not "privy to or being consulted on". A Pacific law expert says that, while New Zealand has every right to withhold its aid to the Cook Islands, the way it is going about it will not endear it to Pacific nations. Auckland University of Technology (AUT) senior law lecturer and a former Pacific Islands Forum advisor Sione Tekiteki told RNZ Pacific that for Aotearoa to keep highlighting that it is "a Pacific country and yet posture like the United States gives mixed messages". "Obviously, Pacific nations in true Pacific fashion will not say much, but they are indeed thinking it," Tekiteki said. Since day dot there has been a misunderstanding on what the 2001 agreement legally required New Zealand and Cook Islands to consult on, and the word consultation has become somewhat of a sticking point. The latest statement from the Cook Islands government confirms it is still a discrepancy both sides want to hash out. "There has been a breakdown and difference in the interpretation of the consultation requirements committed to by the two governments in the 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration," the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) said. "An issue that the Cook Islands is determined to address as a matter of urgency". Tekiteki said that, unlike a treaty, the 2001 declaration was not "legally binding" per se but serves more to express the intentions, principles and commitments of the parties to work together in "recognition of the close traditional, cultural and social ties that have existed between the two countries for many hundreds of years". He said the declaration made it explicitly clear that Cook Islands had full conduct of its foreign affairs, capacity to enter treaties and international agreements in its own right and full competence of its defence and security. However, he added that there was a commitment of the parties to "consult regularly". This, for Clark, the New Zealand leader who signed the all-important agreement more than two decades ago, this is where Brown misstepped. Clark previously labelled the Cook Islands-China deal "clandestine" which has "damaged" its relationship with New Zealand. RNZ Pacific contacted the Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment but was advised by the MFAI secretary that they are not currently accommodating interviews.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Otago returns to top 200 in world university rankings
PHOTO: ODT FILES The University of Otago has returned to the top 200 in the QS World University Ranking for the first time since 2022. Otago rose to 197th in the rankings, following last year's placing of 214th, finishing with an overall score of 55.8. It was one of four New Zealand universities to improve its ranking. More than 1500 institutions in 106 countries are ranked, based on measures including a survey of academic reputation, staff to student ratios and citations of lecturers' research. The University of Auckland was New Zealand's highest-ranked institution in 65th place, with the other seven universities ranked between 197 and 410. Massey, Victoria and AUT also improved their rankings. Considered as a university system, New Zealand's universities performed well, the ranking said. "Among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year's rankings, New Zealand's overall average score of 51 puts the country fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education," it said. Only Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland had better-performing university systems. The ranking placed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) first for the 14th consecutive year followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University. Other ranking systems last year placed New Zealand universities lower in their league tables. In the THE ranking they ranged from 152nd to a band of 501-600th place, while in the Academic Ranking of World Universities they ranged from a top placing in the 201-300 band to a bottom placing of 801-900. - APL/RNZ
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Decision looms on seabed mining
Aotearoa will soon have a big decision to make - and on an issue where emotions run high. Governments around the world are weighing up whether to allow mining of the ocean floor for metal ores and minerals, and that includes New Zealand. Senior Lecturer in Law at Auckland University of Technology Myra Williamson believes seabed mining could become one of the defining environmental battles of 2025. She joins Jesse to discuss the issue. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Legal reform needed to deal with body corporate problems
The huge growth in apartments, and now adjoined terraced housing, has come with increasing in problems with governing body corporate committees. All owners within a one unit title development belong to the legal entity - the body corporate - but they then elect a committee and chair to be responsible for decisions over the care and maintenance. But a myriad of issues over who should pay for what and how owners are allowed to use their properties frequently appear in media reports. Nicola Willis, introducing an amendment bill to strengthen body corporate governance in 2021, spoke about people's worries they would be burned by undisclosed future repair bills and about being ripped off by excessive fees from body corporates for things that people dwelling in those buildings don't want. But problems appear to persist. Kathryn speaks to Associate Professor of AUT's Law School, Rod Thomas, who specialises in property rights and Tim Jones the Chair of Body Corporate Chairs' Group
