DUTA Letter to MHRD, 30.05.2018

DUTA Letter to MHRD, 30.05.2018

Shri Prakash Javadekar,

Hon’ble Minister MHRD,

ShastriBhavan,

New Delhi-110001                                                                                           30 May 2018

Dear Shri Javadekar,

In continuation of our letter dated 18 May 2018, we wish to remind you that we had sought an appointment with you to discuss issues of teachers which have constrained the DUTA to take an extreme step of Evaluation Boycott. In the DUTA letter to you dated 18 May 2018 we had given details of the issues (attached). Teachers have been on a total Evaluation Boycott since 9 May 2018, for almost three weeks now, which reflects their anger and unhappiness over the fact that crucial issues relating to their working conditions have remained unresolved for past several years. The DUTA has been compelled to adopt this mode of protest as a last resort because of disregard of teachers’ feedback on policy matters by the Government and the complete apathy of the authorities towards teachers’ grievances and issues.

Teachers are participating in Satyagraha- Mass Hunger Strike today, 30 May 2018, 10 am to 5 pm at Parliament Street, against the issues of 5March UGC Notification regarding Roster and downgrading of teaching profession through retrograde negative recommendations of 2 November MHRD Notification on & Pay Revision and the 9 March UGC Draft Regulations.

As communicated to you earlier, teachers are highly exercised about the 5March UGC Notification regarding Roster. Since Departments/Subjects are far smaller than institutions, the Roster will move far more slowly and delay the fulfillment of the Consitutionally mandated percentages of 15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs and 27%for OBCs. This is why the UGC Guidelines of 2006 had insisted on taking theUniversity/College as a unit. The UGC Notification of March 5, 2018 has undone its ownGuidelines. The MHRD and UGC subsequently filed SpecialLeave Petitions to Review the Court Order. The UGC merely informed universities about thisbut did not withdraw the March 5, 2018 Notification despite repeated appeals. Severaluniversities have promptly issued new advertisements in which reserved posts are negligible innumber or completely missing. It is an attack on the reservation policy and will push out from universities a large number of teachers from ST, SC and OBC background. It is attack on their livelihood and job prospects of dalit-adivasi students. In Delhi University this has completely stalled the process of permanent appointment, which had started after the intervention of the High Court. Permanent appointment against 2000 advertised posts have come to a standstill. As you know, over 4000 teachers are working on adhoc basis in Delhi University for past several years. If the 5 March letter is not withdrawn/kept in abeyance, it will cause displacement of adhoc teachers in the month of July. Loss of job and summer salaries will cause tremendous hardship for teachers.  It will destabilise Delhi University and its colleges.  The DUTA demands that the 5 March UGC Notification is withdrawn, the University be allowed to fill the advertised permanent posts as promised in compliance reports to the High Court and assurance be given that adhoc teachers will be continued in the new academic session.

The protest is also against privatization and fragmentation of DU. We appreciate your efforts to hold consultation with teachers of Hindu College and the deferment of the item on the agenda of 24 May Full UGC meeting concerning grant of autonomy to St Stephen’s College. We demand that the Government should review its policy of Graded Autonomy and Scheme of Autonomous Colleges, which are schemes to push expansion of public funded higher education through self-financing mode. Today the number of students aspiring for higher education have increased and only public funded State and Central Universities can offer affordable quality education. Massification of higher education cannot be achieved through commercialization of public funded universities. Any such attempt will marginalize the interest of students coming from disadvantageous backgrounds. Recent Government policies including grants being replaced by loans through HEFA for infrastructural needs and push towards self-financing mode of expansion for Universities and Colleges, will redefine higher education – its purpose and target students. These policies, which will inevitably result in massive fees hike, will damage education and job prospects of a large section of the Indian society. The DUTA demands that these policies should be honestly, democratically and rigorously deliberated through statutory bodies.

Teachers are also exercised about down grading of teaching profession through negative recommendations of 2 November 2017 MHRD Notification on 7 Pay Revision and the UGC Draft Regulations. The DUTA has submitted detailed critique of these. We urge the MHRD and the UGC to respond to our feedback and demands in order to give teaching profession its due. We urge you to notify revision of pensions, gratuity and other allowances without any further delay.

Issues of permanent appointments, promotions and pension are affecting teachers in their professional and personal lives and this denial of their basic rights and lack of will of the Government and DU administration to resolve these issues despite several representations and protests is a cause for huge demoralization. This bound to impact the University adversely.

We urge you once again to meet the DUTA Office Bearers so that the issues concerning teachers. Please find attached the letter outlining the major issues before teachers sent on 18 May 2018.

Thanking you,

With regards

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