DU Teachers Organised a Human Chain With Students Across Colleges; Demand the Resolution of Pending Issues from DU VC and MHRD
Delhi University Teachers’ Association organised a Human Chain today at the Arts Faculty to highlight the unprecedented crisis in the University of Delhi owing to the apathy of the DU VC and the MHRD. This action programme is part of the ongoing mobilisation against the anti-education policies of the Government like Tripartite MoU, HEFA, Scheme of Autonomous Colleges, Tampering of DU Act, Imposition of CCS-ESMA, Contractual Employment, Drastic Cuts in Research Seats and attack on the Reservation Policy in teachers’ appointments which has challenged the very ethos of the University system. Hundreds of teachers and students assembled today to form the Human Chain to prepare for the total strike to be observed on Feb 27, 28 & March 1 against the policies enumerated above.
Teachers who participated in the Human Chain emphasized the fact that there’s a nexus between the University administration and the MHRD to ensure that the issues remain unresolved as part of the Govt’s agenda to withdraw funding from Higher Education. Despite several representations from the DUTA, the MHRD has not responded in the affirmative on two burning issues: first, an Ordinance to restore the 200 point roster with college/University as a unit; and second, a one-time Regulation to regularise/absorb temporary/ adhoc teachers. The fact that the non-resolution of these twin issues have not only jeopardised the process of permanent appointments but have now threatened the livelihoods of thousands of teachers working in ad-hoc capacity in DU colleges. Along with these issues, the DUTA has demanded that the MHRD should direct DU to withdraw the SLP against Categories 1 & 2 among petitioners in the pension case. MHRD must also release pension for those hapless teachers who, despite shifting to GPF almost two decades ago, have been denied pension after their retirement. The negative clauses of the UGC Regulations 2018 along with the resolution of the anomalies of the VI Pay Revision including stepping up are long-standing issues which the DUTA has been fighting at the level of MHRD.
The Human Chain also highlighted the misgovernance of the DU Vice-Chancellor especially his pathological inaction on every issue, including routine matters. The VC till date has neither convened the adjourned meeting of the EC to adopt UGC Regulations 2018, nor has he dropped the clause on ‘contractual appointment’ from the draft Ordinances. The VC’s apathy on both these issues has created panic among ad-hoc teachers and has also prolonged the agony of the teachers awaiting promotion for a very long time. Because of DUTA’s intervention, Physical Education was included in the list of academic disciplines in the UGC Regulation 2018 to restore parity of Physical Education teachers with others; the move to delete Physical Education as a discipline in the Draft Ordinances meant for approval in the EC is unwarranted and amounts to mischief to create unrest among the affected teachers. The VC is yet to approve enabling provisions of the last AC meeting like maternity leave for ad-hoc teachers and also to expedite the implementation of revised allowances and pension for teachers. DUTA takes strong note of the tendency of the DU VC to immediately take anti-teacher steps like illegal recoveries from teachers; on the other hand, the same VC doesn’t act ever on anything positive, like expediting pending promotion cases of eligible teachers. The inability of the DU administration to resolve the matter of the counting of past services for promotion is a stark example of a policy paralysis affecting the University.
DUTA has decided to continue it’s protracted struggle by organising a ‘Candle Light’ Vigil tomorrow, ie, Tuesday, Feb 26, 2019, at 4 pm at Mandi House. This will be followed by a total strike of 3 days – Feb 27, 28 & March 1 – to intensify the agitation against the MHRD and the DU VC. There will be a DUTA GBM at 11 am on Friday, March 1, 2019, to decide on future action programmes.
| Rajib Ray President, DUTA Vivek Chaudhary Secretary, DUTA |
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