DUTA PRESS RELEASE: 29 MARCH 2017

                  
Teachers, students and karmacharis against autonomous scheme of colleges

More than three thousand teachers, students and karmacharis of Delhi University marched today from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar to express their deep agitation against the hasty decision of the Government to dismember Delhi University and grant “autonomous status” to some its constituent colleges, a move that will have disastrous consequences, both academically and socially. The present scheme is not aimed at giving any real academic autonomy; instead it gives managerial autonomy to governing bodies and trustees of individual colleges and puts the onus of resource-generation, maintenance and expansion of infrastructure on colleges. It thus pushes undergraduate education in DU colleges towards more commercialisation, unreasonable hikes in student-fee, drastic cost-cutting and overstretching of existing infrastructure. While students from economically vulnerable and socially backward sections will be hit hard by this move, teachers and karamcharis are anxious that in the guise of ‘Autonomy’ governing bodies and trusts will be free to take decisions that have an adverse impact on their service conditions, career advancement and remuneration structure.

The protesters carried placards and shouted slogans to also draw attention to other long pending demands of the teachers like the implementation of the Division Bench Order of the High Court on Pensions in Toto and to make public the Pay Review Committee Report which the UGC has submitted to the MHRD. Teachers also demanded the immediate implementation of Pay Revision for teachers that has been long delayed and that the anomalies of the earlier VI Pay Revision including stepping up be resolved. The DUTA, in its Memorandum, also sought the intervention of the Ministry to withdraw the retrospective implementation of API in Delhi University which has effectively denied promotions to thousands of teachers, and the immediate start to permanent appointments and regularization/ absorption of temporary and long serving ad-hoc teachers. Other demands were also highlighted like the counting of past service for promotion and to ensure the correct implementation of the Reservation Roster as per DoPT guidelines. (See attached Memorandum for details)

The March saw the participation of large numbers of teachers and karmacharis from almost every college, including a large contingent from the DUCKU, and student organisations such as AIDSO, AISA, AISF, CYSS, KYS, NSUI, SFI and YS. President of DUCKU, Shri Surjeet Singh, President of SC/ST Association, Shri Lilu Ram, EC Members AK Bhagi and Rajesh Jha, and student leaders including former President of St Stephen’s Students Union Maya John addressed the gathering. Leaders of the AIFUCTO including the General Secretary Prof Arun Kumar, also addressed the rally and expressed their solidarity with the teachers, students and karmacharis of Delhi University. Shri Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress Party also joined the Rally and lent his support to the demands of the Delhi University community.

Please find Links below for the Memorandum and Annexures submitted to the MHRD today:


(I) DUTA Memorandum to MHRD: 29-03-2017


(II) Resolution adopted by the DUTA Executive; 23 February 2017

(III) Note on Promotion & Related Issues

(IV) Note on Autonomous College Scheme

(V) Letter to HRD Ministry on CPF-GPF, 20.03.2017