DUTA Press Release; 4 December, 2019

The DUTA began its Indefinite Strike today. Over 8000 teachers participated in the massive protest in the form of VC Gherao today on DUTA’s call in response to ongoing crisis. Neither the various gates nor the security personnel nor the police could prevent teachers from reaching and occupying the VC office. Teachers raised slogans through the day and occupied the Council Hall where Academic Council and Executive Council meetings are held.

The DU circular of 28 August 2019 which asked Departments and Colleges to appoint guest faculty against substantive full time vacancies. Many ad-hoc teachers who have served the University and its colleges for long years have become victims of this grossly unjust and arbitrary decision. Teaching-learning has suffered. And ad hoc teachers have been subjected to uncertainties and humiliation repeatedly.

The DUTA reiterates it demand for an one time UGC Regulation for Absorption of ad hoc and temporary teachers in Delhi University and its colleges where regular appointments have not been made for one reason or another for a long period. Let alone taking positive steps toward meeting a demand that is just and is in the interest of the university, the UGC / MHRD have maintained a disturbing silence over the undesirable and unjust university circular. It is as much their responsibility to take the DU VC to task for failing the primary responsibility entrusted to the University. Their silence too will not be tolerated. They remain unresponsiveness to the demand for a  The university administration’s irresponsible action has for the time being forced us out of our work into protest action to ensure that teachers do not lose their full time jobs. It, however, cannot divert us from the struggle that they have to be made permanent without further uncertainties through absorption.

Many college Principals had issued notices saying that rejoining of ad-hoc teachers have been kept in abeyance till the University issues clarification on the 28 August 2019 letter. Salaries of ad-hoc teachers have been on hold in most of the colleges. The DU Principals’ Association has now decided to release salaries and continue only those teachers who were serving last semester and were employed in July 2019 in continuation. This will mean that over 400 teachers will lose their jobs from immediate affect.

The DUTA is of the firm opinion that the chaos and crisis can only be ended through an unconditional withdrawal of the unjust and illegal 28 August letter. The letter has no basis and the matter was never brought to the Academic Council or Executive Council for discussion. We wish to highlight that the appointment of teachers on ad-hoc basis has been one of the good practices followed by Delhi University. Such appointments have always been made under the provision of DU Ordinances and Executive Council Resolution of 2007 to urgently meet the requirement of organising teaching when appointment in accordance with UGC Regulations cannot be made. When the administration fails to make permanent appoinment for years, it has no business to give up its primary task of organising teaching through such arbitrary diktats. Statutory bodies have always considered it absolutely essential that sanctioned regular vacancy should be filled on full-time basis only. Provision for ad-hoc appointments with regular workload was deemed necessary for teaching-learning.

For last 10 years teachers in Delhi University have been denied promotions. It is extremely unfortunate that the University delayed adoption of the 2018 UGC Regulations by a year and is now, by not bringing out necessary forms, preventing its just implementation. By not releasing Options form and Promotion proforma for implementation of CAS 2018, the administration has been insensitive to legitimate aspirations of career advancement of teachers.

The DUTA is also demanding that the report on Counting of past services for the purpose of promotion be brought to the Executive Council for discussion and matter be resolved in favour of teachers. Counting of past services was yet another good practice which DU had adopted for retaining talent. The UGC finally took cognisance of this and included it the UGC Regulations of 2018.

The University had received some, though extremely inadequate, grant from the UGC towards creation of additional teaching and non-teaching posts to meet the EWS Expansion on account of EWS reservation in admission in June 2019. The University’s job was to utilise it and seek more grants so that adequate posts required to maintain the student-teacher ratio could be created. It has chosen instead to not utilise the grants and create whatever few posts could be created. The impact of EWS reservation in teaching posts without creation of additional posts is adverse. Teachers who have been working in ad hoc capacity in vacancies which get marked as reserved for EWS are threatened with loss of employment. The DUTA, therefore, is demanding that the implementation of EWS reservation be kept in abeyance till such time that additional posts are sanctioned for the colleges. The DUTA demands that there should not be any displacement of ad-hoc teachers because of EWS reservation.

Thousands of teachers continue to occupy the Vice Regal Lodge. The DUTA has categorically communicated to the administration that these demands have to be resolved on an urgent basis. Teacher will continue to boycott invigilation duties, evaluation work and all other Office work.

Rajib Ray President, DUTA Rajinder Singh Secretary, DUTA