Delhi University Teachers On Warpath Over Sacking Of Ad-Hoc Colleagues

NEW DELHI:  After a group of ad-hoc teachers alleged scam in appointment of 126 candidates to the post of Assistant Professors, in a show of solidarity, hundreds of Delhi University (DU) teachers protested today demanding reinstatement of 40-plus ad hoc teachers, who were associated with the Law Faculty. The teachers who went on a strike converged outside the Vice Chancellors’ office for a spontaneous Mass Protest against the ‘DU Administration’s continued evasion of transparency in permanent appointments and failure to ensure justice for many long-serving ad-hoc teachers who had hoped to be regularised’.

A statement from Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) said the DU Administration has failed to come up with an objective criteria for marking in the 50:30:20 weightage formula (as required by UGC Regulations) and has left the whole marking process to the discretion of selection committees, thus making a mockery of the weightage system itself.

After the recent interviews for faculty members, the Faculty of Law relieved around 40 ad hoc teachers for new teachers hired on a permanent basis.

The protesting teachers alleged that some of the teachers relieved had been working for 10-15 years with the department.

“In an instant, many of the existing adhoc (full-time) and part-time teachers have been rendered unemployed who sacrificed the prime of their professional career. Out of these teachers, sixty percent of the teachers have been removed,” a statement from ad-hoc teachers said yesterday.

“The showing up of teachers was unprecedented… Never before did so many teachers come out in support of ad hoc teachers from across the university colleges. Most classes were suspended for the day and the same condition will prevail even tomorrow (Wednesday),” DUTA Vice President Sudhanshu Kumar told IANS.

“This will force the colleges to shift the financial burden to the students by increasing the fees… Can you expect students from the underprivileged background, who come from far away corners of the country, to afford Rs. 50,000 for studying in DU,” Mr Kumar asked.

The DUTA reiterated its demand for regularisation of long-serving temporary and ad-hoc teachers as their contribution to the teaching-learning and academic growth of departments and colleges across DU cannot be ignored.

In their strike, the teachers were joined by the Delhi University and Colleges Karamchari Union, which has also called for a two-day shutdown.

The DUTA strike will continue tomorrow in protest against ‘the negative recommendations of the Pay Revision Notification and the 70-30 sharing-arrangement on costs that the Government is insisting on’.