DUTA Press Release : 18.03.2021

Thousands of Delhi University teachers today marched under the DUTA banner from DU VC’s Office to LG’s Office protesting on issues of 12 Delhi University colleges that are 100% funded by the Delhi Government. With lack of timely funding and sinister attempts by Delhi Government to take away these 12 colleges from Delhi University, teachers gave a loud and clear message to the LG: he cannot remain a mute spectator in these adverse circumstances.

The strength of the teachers’ collective came to the fore when DUTA protests and mass action programs forced the Chief Minister, Shri Arvind Kejriwal to release the much delayed Grant-in-Aids to the 12 colleges. He has also promised to release the pending amount in a meeting with Principals and chairpersons of these 12 colleges. However, the danger is far from over. The Delhi Government is forcing these 12 colleges to adopt in their Governing Bodies the Pattern of Assistance document issued by the Directorate of Higher Education, Govt. of NCT of Delhi. This Pattern of Assistance proviso is sinisterly prepared to take these 12 colleges out of Delhi University and run them on self financing mode to escape government funding. The document refers to these colleges as “100% funded Delhi Govt. sponsored college affiliated to University of Delhi.” This is absolutely wrong as these are constituent colleges of DU. The document also mentions  Board of Governors (BoGs). The 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 The Pattern of Assistance document needs to be immediately withdrawn.

The DUTA demands that the LG must ensure that the Finance Department Order from the Human Resource Division dated 17.02.2021 assigning to Senior Administrative Officers additional charge of these 12 colleges must be immediately withdrawn. The University of Delhi has no such provisions and the Office of the Principal is more than adequate and capable of handling the administrative functioning in each of these 12 colleges. Instead of this excessive interference, the Delhi Government must focus on releasing grants for infrastructure development and maintenance and for creating posts as required by the EWS expansion and for new courses approved and started in the last few years. Appointments of teachers assigned to teach these courses had been approved by respective governing bodies and thus should be deemed sanctioned. Further, the LG must ensure that the Delhi Government sanctions Grants-in-Aids regularly on quarterly basis so that teachers and karamcharis do not suffer.

The DUTA appeals to the LG to intervene and resolve these matters at the earliest in the favour of teachers of Delhi University.

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