DUTA Press Release, 16.03.2018

A large number of teachers and students belonging to various colleges and Departments of University of Delhi participated today in the DUTA action program Jan Samvad to protest against the anti-teacher, anti-student and anti-education policies of the government. Taking the movement beyond campuses, teachers and students formed clusters of colleges and distributed handbills, apprising the general public about the threats to the public funded higher education. This mass contact program took place across Delhi in 16 prominent places including Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, Kamla Nagar, DU Metro Station and Nehru Place, alongside venues outside respective colleges.

People in general were shocked to know that the recent policy changes made by the MHRD in the sector of higher education would have a debilitating impact on society. The new funding formula of 30:70 wherein universities are being asked by the government to generate at least 30% of the additional costs would result in exorbitant increase in students’ fees,  making higher education unaffordable and inaccessible to most students, especially women and the under-privileged sections. With the HEFA displacing grants with loans for any additional infrastructure, the consequences will be disastrous: either colleges will languish into oblivion owing to decline of quality or students will be financially burdened to augment infrastructure. The Autonomous Colleges scheme along with graded autonomy will subsume the public-funded education institutions with different levels of self-financing and commercialisation. People were made aware that the government has been constantly neglecting Appointments and Promotions of teachers in a university which is already reeling with 60% ad hoc faculty. The lack of career progression in teaching jobs has already resulted into a massive brain-drain with talented students moving away to other sectors in search of permanent jobs and assured career progression.

People were pained to know that the Higher Education sector, which is the backbone of any strong developing country, is at the receiving end of such policy assault. They expressed total solidarity with teachers and students and pledged to join the protest in defence of public-funded Higher Education. The DUTA will intensify its protest against the anti-education policies of the government in the coming days and calls all sections of society to unitedly participate in the movement.