Delhi University teachers sit on hunger strike over delay in forming governing bodies

NEW DELHI: Several teachers of Delhi University sat on a 12-hour hunger strike over delay in forming governing bodies in 28 colleges funded by the Arvind Kejriwal government. The strike called by the AAP teachers wing -- Academics for Action & Development Delhi Teachers Association (AADTA) -- started at around 7 am at Arts Faculty. They also demanded the absorption of ad hoc and temporary teachers working in various Delhi University colleges.

Several members of the Executive Council, Academic Council and Finance Committee of the varsity participated in the strike. Some former members and chairpersons of the governing bodies (GB) were also part of the demonstration, AADTA said in a statement. "The large scale participation shows the anger of teaching community over the way the university administration has politicised the GB formation in these colleges and the recruitment process in a narrow partisan manner," it said.

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Last month, the Delhi government had sent the list of its nominees for the Governing Bodies formation to the university and during the Executive Council meeting on February 3, the list was not brought for approval, the statement said. When Executive Council members Seema Das and R S Pawar took up the matter in the meeting, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh said there were some technical problems, the AADTA claimed.

“In mid-February, the university administration arbitrarily sent three GB nominees to Bharati College, violating the varsity’s Statute 30(1) and EC Resolution 51 (2012). When the policy of university administration is to continue with the massive displacements to the tune of 70 per cent ad hoc and temporary teachers, it is making all efforts to evade accountability to the elected government," the AADTA said in the statement.