DUTA Press Release , 11.7.2016: “Meri Awaaz Suno” at the VC Office

Hundreds of teachers gathered at Gate No 1 of the Vice Chancellor’s Office to relate their traumatic experiences in the last several years.
Ad hoc teachers described the exploitation and humiliation faced by them in having to renew their appointment every four months, getting no increments,  struggling for their summer salary and managing without maternity leave, medical leave etc.

Young permanent teachers shared harrowing experiences of being denied promotions because Delhi University, under Professor Dinesh Singh,  decided to apply the API scheme from 31.12.2008 almost five years before the date of its introduction on 17.8.2013!  While the API system had led to a severe dilution of quality of research and teaching, and led to denial of promotions all over the country, its adoption from a back date in DU has had a devastating effect on thousands of teachers in DU who were eligible for promotion under the earlier Merit Promotion Scheme on a date between 31.12.2008 and 17.8.2013 Highly qualified teachers talked about their frustration at zero upward mobility, that had driven scores of teachers to seek better working conditions elsewhere such as JNU, Ambedkar University, Ashoka and Shiv Nadar.

Several teachers from reserved categories expressed their anger at the incorrect modalities for reservation adopted by the earlier DU authorities that had led to serious violations in the Constitutional provisions of reservation of posts for SC/ST/OBC and PWD. They pointed out that the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Welfare of SC/ST had submitted a report in which Delhi University had been indicted for following modalities that violated the Reservation Policy of the Government of India.

The DUTA had demanded that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Yogesh Tyagi, set up committees as a first step towards resolving the DU centric problems viz the illegal decision to implement API retrospectively and the violations in the GoI Reservation Policy. The retrospective application of API should be rolled back, the roster corrected and permanent appointments started at the earliest. There have been several rounds of talks with the DU administration. While they have agreed to include elected EC and AC members in a Committee set-up to examine issues related to Appointment and Promotions, talks regarding separate Committee to review modalities of reservation roster are still on.

The DUTA has also demanded that all existing ad-hocs should be given letters of re-appointment wef 20th July without any fresh interview.