DUTA Press Conference – Press Statement; 11 October 2019

Over 4500 teachers have been working on adhoc/temporary basis in DU colleges for over a decade as permanent appointments have largely not taken place. Recruitment was done sporadically in two brief periods, first in 2014-15 and then in 2017, in select few colleges/departments. The recruitment process, which started because of a High Court Judgement of December 2016, was brought to a complete halt because of the 5 March 2018 UGC Notification for the implementation of Department/Subject-wise roster. It took over a year for the issue to get resolved. However, meanwhile all advertisements for permanent appointments over 2700 posts lapsed. Subsequently, after the notification of the UGC Regulations 2018, changes in the screening criteria and recruitment process have left many teachers dismayed.

These teachers perform the same duties as their permanent colleagues but have been denied basic rights to a dignified life.  Despite fulfilling all the requisite academic qualifications like NET/JRF, M Phil, PhD, Post-doctorate etc from prestigious Universities of India and abroad, and having teaching experience for years, these teachers are yet to be regularised in their respective positions which are substantive in nature and are earmarked into different categories as per the approved reservation roster. Contributing consistently in the academic and the corporate growth of the university, they have been working in their respective colleges/departments amidst massive insecurity of services with no facilities like annual increments, medical benefits, maternity leaves etc. The tenure of ad-hoc teachers is fixed for four months which gets extended on the basis of satisfactory service records and interviews, most of which depend on the whims and fancies of the administrative authority. The inhuman conditions can be gauged by the fact that women ad-hoc colleagues have been forced to work throughout their pregnancy period and then have no option but to rejoin immediately after delivery.

The indefinite nature of ad-hoc service stands in stark violation of not only the Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Delhi, but also of UGC Regulations which have stipulated maximum 10% for such vacancies. Not only that, it also goes against the spirit of various court judgements (eg Uma Devi versus the Union of India, 2006) and violates the fundamental rights of the affected teachers including the right to equal wage for equal work.

Various State Governments have initiated such processes of regularization for teachers in their State Universities through notified executive orders. Even the Government of NCT, Delhi, through the Governing Bodies in the colleges maintained by the Delhi Government, has shown willingness towards the process of regularization: many of these Governing Bodies have passed resolutions recommending a one-time absorption of all working temporary/ad-hoc teachers which now needs sanction from the UGC and the MHRD. In 2009, the UGC had asked Universities/Institutes to absorb UGC Research Scientists working in the units.

Today, when over 50% population is below the age of 25 years, it is important to strengthen and repair public funded educational institutions. Infrastructure development and maintaining adequate teachers’ number are essential for quality education. It is important that University and its colleges, which serve lakhs of students from across the country, are stabilized through permanent faculty. Absorption of serving ad-hoc and temporary teachers is the only way in which posts can be filled on permanent basis at such a large scale in a short period.

We demand a one-time enabling Regulation to ensure the absorption of the temporary/ad-hoc teachers in the University. According to the Supreme Court judgement of 1994 (Raj Singh versus the University of Delhi) reiterated in 2016 (the Kalyani judgement), the UGC Regulations are mandatory in cases of direct recruitment and promotion. In order to respond to the peculiar situation which exists in DU, the UGC/MHRD should frame a specific regulation which allows the regularization of serving temporary/ad-hoc teachers on permanent basis through a one-time absorption: a provision for teachers working against vacancies which are approved and earmarked according to the reservation roster meant for teaching positions in the University.