DUTA Press Release: 3 January 2019

DUTA calls for University Shut Down on 8 & 9 January to press for its demands

                           

The DUTA congratulates the 24 elected members of the Academic Council for the valiant role played by them during the AC meeting held on 2 January 2019 and afterwards in the spontaneous sit-in that went on for 24 hours. The DUTA unequivocally condemns the recalcitrant attitude of the VC for stubbornly refusing to place the report of his own committee set up to facilitate the adoption of the UGC Regulations. The DUTA also condemns the insensitive behavior of the University Administration in refusing to allow blankets, medicines and food for the members staging the overnight sit-in. The principled position taken by the elected members forced the PVC and the Registrar to meet them in a reconciliatory attempt to resolve the stalemate. Some headway was made with the Officials agreeing to consider taking the matter back to the Regulations Committee and redrafting appropriate amendments to the relevant Ordinances in the light of the UGC Regulations 2018.

The root of the problem clearly lies in the orders given by the MHRD/UGC in its letters dated 3.3.2016, 13.1.2017 and 16.10.2018 which constitute an attack on the autonomy of the university and its statutory bodies. The DUTA demands the unconditional withdrawal of these letters so that Universities can frame their Ordinances in accordance with their specificities.

The DUTA also expresses its grave concern about the failure of the Government in bringing an Ordinance on the reservation roster issue so that University/ College can be treated as a unit and the release of pension to retired employees. The DUTA demands withdrawal of the SLP in the pension issue and a mechanism to facilitate the regularization/ absorption of ad-hoc and temporary teachers. The DUTA also demands processing of promotions which are long pending and the counting of past service. The DUTA also demands the immediate release of allowances as per the 7th Pay Revision, the removal of the negative recommendations of the UGC Regulations 2018 and the resolution of anomalies including stepping-up.

While on the one hand, the MHRD is aggressively pushing universities towards commercialization through policy measures such as the Tripartite MoU and HEFA that will escalate fees and downgrade quality, on the other, it is downgrading the working and service conditions of teachers leading to dismantling of public-funded education in the country.

The DUTA holds the VC squarely responsible for the complete administrative paralysis and subversion of the statutory bodies in the University and demands that he should act or go. 

To express the collective anger of the teaching community press for the demands and as, the DUTA has called for a University shut down on the 8th and 9th of January.

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