MUMBAI: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has postponed its convocation ceremony just 48 hours before it was to be held on August 2. The chief guest at the function was to be Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, whose reference to unemployed young Indians as “cockroaches” is linked to the recent mass student protests across the country.
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The postponement has been criticised by the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student organisation at the institute that has released a statement demanding “accountability” for the postponement. “This decision has caused significant financial, professional, and emotional distress to the graduating batch. Students and their families from across the country had already made travel and accommodation arrangements, and many working graduates had taken leave to attend the ceremony,” the statement reads.
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The email from the registrar informing students of the postponement reads, “We sincerely regret to inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances, TISS’s 86th Convocation, scheduled for 2nd August 2026, has been postponed. We understand the significance of this occasion for our graduating students, families, faculty, and staff, and we deeply appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through the situation. We will share the revised date and further details at the earliest. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your continued support.”
The PSF, which has been campaigning for students’ rights on campus, has been vocal about the delay in declaring final results and issuing of degree certificates. They allege that these delays have affected students applying for higher education, competitive examinations, and employment. “The postponement (of the convocation) further aggravates these difficulties and risks damaging the institution’s reputation,” according to the PSF’s statement.
“We urge the administration to either conduct the convocation as scheduled or make immediate arrangements to ensure that all graduating students receive their degree certificates and other necessary academic documents without further delay,” the statement adds.
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Graduating students at TISS were informed of the last-minute change of plans via an email they received on Thursday night, which cited “unforeseen circumstances”. However, campus sources say that although a convocation is not a public event, the TISS administration decided to postpone it over security concerns, fearing protests or other disruptive activities during the function.
The event, the institution’s 86th convocation, was to be attended by graduating students from its campuses across the country, including Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati.
The TISs administration responded with an announcement on its official website, saying the institute recognizes the hardship caused to the graduating students and their families. “TISS stands in full support of its students and will examine requests related to financial hardship arising from the postponement on a case-to-case basis, in accordance with applicable rules. We have already communicated to graduating students via email on this matter,” said the announcement.
