Delhi University teachers oppose category-1 graded autonomy for DU

NEW DELHI: The Democratic United Teachers’ Alliance today in a press circular highlighted the issues on which they will be contesting the upcoming Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) election 2023. The election for DU’s teachers’ body will be held on September 27.

The alliance has been formed by ten organisations, including, DTF, AADTA, INTEC, Common Teachers’ Front (CTF), Delhi Teachers’ Initiative (DTI), Independent Teachers’ Front for Social Justice (ITF-SJ), Samajwadi Shikshak Manch (SSM), Voice of DU Adhocs Sanoj Kumar, Maya John AADTA, and several teachers.

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The alliance said the outgoing (present) DUTA committee has been hand-in glove in furthering all the anti-academic and anti-teacher moves. It has also undermined the functioning of wider trade unions of teachers such as FEDCUTA, that are fighting against privatisation and for the restoration of the old pension scheme, the circular read.

The alliance added that the DUTA elections this year are being held in the backdrop of an existential crisis confronting the public character of the Delhi University and public higher education in the country as a whole. There have been a series of policy driven efforts to undermine public higher education which are centred around the NEP 2020, it added.

The alliance in the circular said it will oppose the adoption of graded autonomy category 1 status of DU as it permits opening of new academic courses, new centres, skill courses, research parks, incubation centres, foreign faculty, foreign students and incentive structures, which will lead to university hiring on a self-finance basis.

The circular added that attempts to push both cluster and online classes on students have had a disastrous effect on the workload of teachers that will adversely affect the number of teaching posts.

It also opposed the mass displacement of serving ad hoc and temporary in many colleges and departments. The alliance appealed to the Delhi University teachers to vote for Aditya Narayan Misra, their presidential candidate for the DUTA election.