DUTA PRESS RELEASE, 1.10.2014

DUTA Criticises University’s Move to Make 2nd October Attendance for Teachers Mandatory

The DUTA expresses its concern about the Delhi University’s sudden decision to effectively cancel the scheduled public holiday and insist on teachers’ attendance in the name of the “Swachha Bharat Abhiyan” initiated by the Prime Minister. The DUTA is critical of the University’s manner of issuing a whimsical diktat demanding an unscheduled and superficial presence of teachers in their respective colleges on Gandhi Jayanti. This reduces any serious effort to implement cleanliness to mere tokenism. 

The University administration, while issuing this diktat, has enclosed a copy of an MHRD O.M. whose directions are not ipso facto applicable to university employees. The letter from the UGC on the issue has appealed to universities to make the campaign a success, not to make it mandatory to be present in the institution. 

The University’s diktat has encouraged some colleges to cancel all leaves for this day. This move, sanctioned by the University covertly and promoted by its dictatorial character, is condemnable.

The DUTA wishes to remind the Government of the urgent need for cleaning up the maladministration and corruption at the highest levels in the University. Clean functioning  according to rules continues to be obstructed under the current Vice-Chancellor and his team. As long as this administration continues in office, any effort to bring any positive change in Delhi University is doomed to failure.    

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