DUTA Protests outside UGC Meeting; Autonomy for St. Stephen's and Hindu College Deferred Owing to Continuous Movement of Teachers and Students
Teachers and students of DU took their protests against forced Autonomy to the UGC's doorstep today. The DUTA agitated outside the UGC while a Full Commission Meeting of the UGC was on. Senior UGC Officials informed the DUTA President today morning that the item on granting Autonomy to St. Stephen's and Hindu College has been dropped from the agenda of the meeting. This last minute change in the agenda of the Full Commission meeting is owing to continuous protests.This deferral is, however, no guarantee against the Government's plan to privatise its premier public-funded higher educational institutions. The DUTA emphasises the fact that DU already has its own statutory Autonomy inscribed in its founding Act and its constituent colleges partake of this Autonomy. In this context, no other form of Autonomy that violates its founding Act, Statutes and Ordinances is legally tenable or desirable.
The Government's insistence on forcing its new Autonomy schemes is guided by its plan to allow these institutions to lay out their own admissions and appointment rules, do away with Reservation for socially marginalised SCs, STs, OBCs and alter the fee structure, pay and service conditions of its employees at will. This will make education expensive and exclusionary; it will push colleges towards extreme Commercialisation.
The DUTA has also repeatedly appealed to the UGC to withdraw its March 5 Notification on the Reservation Roster, especially as it contradicts the Government's own plea against the Department-wise Rosters. However, the UGC continues to maintain a callous and indifferent attitude on this demand. The refusal to withdraw the Notification will continue to adversely affect teachers' appointments in DU as the vacancies have been advertised against posts calculated through the earlier College and University-wise 200-point Roster. It will also create a huge confusion about the nature of posts when ad-hoc teachers will have to be employed in the new academic session that starts in July 2018.
The UGC seems most unconcerned about the fate of DU students as it has not done anything so far to ensure that adequate numbers of teachers may be employed smoothly to address the teaching workload in the new session.
DUTA shall continue to protest with teachers and students unless (i) the UGC assures that Autonomy will not be forced on colleges or DU, and (ii) it categorically withdraws the March 5 Notification on Roster and restores the status quo on Reservation in appointments. The advertised posts in DU should be filled immediately.
The DUTA demands withdrawal of retrograde recommendations of the 7th Pay Revision notification and the UGC draft Regulations. We demand that the Revision of pension and other allowances be announced without further delay.
| Rajib Ray President, DUTA | Vivek Chaudhary Secretary, DUTA |
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