DUTA Letter to MHRD, 12 July 2018

Request for an urgent intervention on the Roster issue to ensure renewal of appointment of ad-hoc teachers

To

Shri Prakash Javadekar,
Hon’ble Minister MHRD,
Shastri Bhavan,
New Delhi-110001
12 July 2018

Sub: Request for an urgent intervention on the Roster issue to ensure renewal of appointment of ad-hoc teachers

Dear Sh Prakash Javadekar,

We write once again to draw your attention to the crisis in University of Delhi because of the 5 March UGC Notification on Roster.

As you are aware, Delhi University and colleges have been following 200 point Roster using College/University as unit for teaching posts as per the EC Resolution No 64 dated 28.9.2013. The said EC Resolution is based on the UGC guidelines of 2006.

The UGC Notification of 5 March 2018 directed all universities to revise the Reservation Rosters for teaching posts in order to replace the principle of applying the Roster to the entire University/College as a unit to one which is implemented in each Department/Subject separately. The Department/Subject-wise Roster artificially slows down the fulfillment of the constitutionally mandated percentages of 15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs and 27% for OBCs. Since Departments/ Subjects are often quite small units, it would take far too long for reserved positions to emerge. This is why the UGC guidelines 2006 had laid down the principle of taking the University/College as a unit with its larger number of posts.

Subsequently, the MHRD and the UGC filed SLPs against the Allahabad High Court judgment. A circular notifying this was sent by the UGC to all Universities on 20.4.2018. The matter is now subjudice. And as you know, it was to come up before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 2.7.2018, on which day the hearing was adjourned to 20.7.2018.

The 5 March UGC Notification has resulted in a crisis in University of Delhi. It has brought permanent appointments against over 2000 advertised posts to a standstill. As you know, the current recruitment process at DU was being held under the High Court Judgement of December 2016. Despite several representations to the DU administration and the MHRD, the appointment process against the advertised posts was not resumed. Today most of the advertisements have either lapsed or are on the verge of lapsing. We find it extremely unfortunate that a recruitment process, which was a shared responsibility of the MHRD, the UGC and Delhi University, has been abandoned despite deadlines set by the High Court.

Today, however, we are faced with a greater crisis because of the 5 March Notification. Over 4000 ad-hoc teachers currently employed in University of Delhi and its colleges were employed on the basis of 200 point Roster treating College/Department as a unit. Any change in the Roster for employment in the new academic session, starting from 20 July2018, will result in displacement of a large number of ad-hoc teachers increasing their hardship, loss of jobs and vacation salary and creating chaos in the University. Teachers from ST, SC and OBC would be worst affected as the Department/Subject-wise Roster is bound to slash reserved posts drastically (as is evident from the advertisements issued by several Universities).

We had raised these issues with you in our meeting of 5 June 2018. The DUTA Office Bearers were given a verbal assurance that the MHRD will intervene. We were informed that universities have been told verbally to maintain status-quo.

In the light of the fact that the MHRD and the UGC have filed SLPs in the matter, which is coming up for hearing on the 20th July, we appeal to your Office to once again remind universities, especially Delhi University, to maintain status-quo regarding the Roster . Also as promised, it is important that universities are asked to withhold issuance of advertisements of teaching posts on the basis of 5 March letter.

As you know, teachers teaching on ad-hoc basis in DU colleges till the last semester have been selected through a rigorous process of interview by a proper selection committee as laid down in the EC Resolution No 120(8) dated 27.12.2007. It is these teachers who have kept the teaching, examination and evaluation schedule of the University going in a period of much instability caused by frequent academic restructuring, despite tremendous professional uncertainty and personal hardship faced by them.

In the light of the above, we appeal to you to direct Delhi University to ensure rejoining of the ad-hoc teachers who had been teaching in a college/department from the opening day of the new session viz 20.7.2018. This step is necessary to put an end to the prevailing chaos and uncertainty and to ensure that teaching-learning process can start in the University without any delay. And status-quo in terms of Roster be maintained for determining nature of posts against leave vacancies and workload.

An urgent intervention by your Office will resolve the crisis at University of Delhi and will ensure that the reservation policy and the rights of the ad-hoc teachers are protected.

Thanking you,

With regards

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