CCTAD Dharna at Jantar Mantar

Joint Dharna of Teachers’ Associations of Delhi-based Universities

On the initiative of the newly-formed Co-ordination Committee of Teachers’ Associations of Universities based in Delhi (CCTAD), DUTA, JNUTA, AUDFA (Ambedkar Univerity), IGNOUTA, Jamia Teachers’ Association and the IP University Teachers’ Association came together to hold a Protest Dharna at the Jantar Mantar today. This Dharna was held to highlight the Government’s neglect of Higher Education, the destructive influence of Commercialisation on this sector and to demand resolution of urgent problems. Hundreds of teachers and students from these universities participated in the Dharna.

CCTAD has asked the Government to provide immediate relief to the teaching community by ensuring the filling up of the large number of permanent vacancies in universities, implementing its Reservation Policy in strict adherence to the Constitutional guarantees, ensuring speedy promotions and resolution of pension related issues, scrapping the illogical Points System, initiating prompt action against corrupt and autocratic Vice Chancellors, and resolving Pay-related anomalies. A delegation of office-bearers of each of the Teachers’ Associations submitted a Memorandum of Demands on all these issues. They were unable to meet the Minister since she had to suddenly rush off for a Cabinet meeting. They have therefore formally sought an appointment with her at the earliest.

CCTAD also expressed its commitment towards intervening, through joint movements, on the most pressing issues related to public interest in Higher Education and the obligations of the State towards the common people, in this regard. It criticised the Government for ignoring the organic needs of Higher Education and for undermining its potential in strengthening the equity, sovereignty and integrity of the people of this nation. Successive governments have presided over the degeneration of public-funded universities by choking them of funds and infrastructure and by helping install corrupt officials in the administration, through politically expedient appointments. This trend has become particularly aggravated in the decades of economic liberalisation.

CCTAD appealed to the present Government to engage with the widespread discontent in the academic community which is a direct outcome of its skewed pro-Corporate policies, exclusionary and discriminative measures that have pushed Higher Education out of the common man’s reach, and the worsening service conditions of teachers.

Various students’ organisations, women’s organisations like Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan, and political parties like AAP and CPM joined the CCTAD Dharna in solidarity. Kamal Mitra Chenoy of AAP and Sitaram Yechury of CPM underlined the fact that the idea of an independent India and the Freedom Struggles were born and took roots in universities. They emphasized the sinister designs to to make universities elitist, exclude the majority citizens from the ambit of Higher Education through commercialisation, or push people to buy expensive education through loans and how this would propel the nation towards a disastrous future and destroy its democratic foundations. Both members pledged the support of their parties inside and outside Parliament.

Prof.. Arun Kumar                                                                             Prof. Manpreet Kang

President                                                                                             Secretary