DUTA Press Release, 13 March 2021

An emergent meeting of the DUTA Extended Executive held today decided to continue with the DU Shutdown and its action programmes as decided in its earlier meeting. 

The Delhi Government released Rs 82.79 crores under salary head and an amount of Rs 9.50 crores under other than salaries’ head on Friday, 12 March 2021. However, the grants released are insufficient, and, in most colleges, will meet fund requirements for payment of salaries only up to January. Amongst the 12 DU Colleges that are 100% maintained by Delhi Government, Bhagini Nivedita College has not received any grant. 

What is shocking is that these twelve colleges are being forced to adopt in their Governing Bodies a document called Pattern of Assistance issued by the Directorate of Higher Education, Govt of NCT of Delhi. 

The provisions of this Pattern of Assistance are designed to redefine association of these 12 Colleges with Delhi University and divest Delhi Government of its funding responsibility by coercing them to gradually become self-sufficient and self-sustaining.

The document is addressed to a new imagined category of colleges called “ 100 % funded Delhi Govt. sponsored college affiliated to University of Delhi”. These colleges have always been referred to as 100% funded Delhi Govt. maintained colleges of Delhi University. These are constituent colleges of DU. The change in the manner of referencing clearly strengthens the apprehension that the Delhi Govt. – earlier tasked with maintaining these educational institutions is now redefining itself as the sponsor of edu-business units – to find ways of disaffiliating them from Delhi University.

The attempt to change the nomenclature has to be seen in the light of the plea of the Delhi Govt. to the Central Govt. to amend DU Act in consonance with National Education Policy 2020. The document also makes reference to Board of Governors (BoG) in the document. BOGs are envisioned by the NEP as the governing authorities of each Higher Educational Institution free from external control and in full control of the respective institution. The funding criteria stipulated the documents mimic the policy statement in NEP that there would be transparent preannounced criteria for adequate funding equitably distributed among public HEIs on the basis of their plans and that further funding will depend on their plans and progress. Clause 4(x) links grants to “annual achievement-cum-performance report”.

Clauses 3(ii), 3 (iii) & 17 should be read together as a move away from full funding to a gradually reducing adequate funding formula in laying down transparent funding criteria conditional on requirements for these colleges to overtime continuously generate greater revenue to become self-sustaining.

“3(ii). The provisioning of budget for grants needs to be made on net deficit basis (i.e., total revenue from all sources – total expenses).

3(iii). The College shall evolve suitable mechanism to maximise generation of internal resources so as to attain self-sufficiency / self-sustainability over a period of time.

17. The Grantee College shall create alternative sources of income in the medium and long term. Release of grants to it shall be linked to generation of income from other sources like consultancy etc.”

To ensure that this design to change the public character of these colleges, the Delhi Govt vide clauses 12 & 13 in violation of the character of a Central University of which these colleges are constituent wants its employees to control finance / accounts wings of the colleges. To further arm-twist colleges into generating revenue, it seeks to put in place procedures that will make it difficult for colleges to actually spend the money received by way of grants.

The DUTA demands that the Delhi Government withdraw these new guidelines in the interest of maintaining the public character of the 12 institutions which have evolved to become reputed institutions under Delhi University providing quality education.

It further demands that posts filled for teaching new courses started over the last few years with due sanctions and through GB approvals taken from time to time should be considered sanctioned. That is a requirement for smooth conduct of teaching-learning.

The DUTA urges the Delhi Govt. to ensure that these issues are immediately resolved. It also takes the opportunity to remind the Delhi Govt. that it has yet to release grants for creation of additional teaching and non-teaching posts as well as additional infrastructure required to meet the 25% expansion in student intake that has occurred on account of EWS reservations.

DUTA has written numerous letters to the Chief Minister requesting appointment. It is imperative to resolve these issues through dialogue.