Delhi University Teachers' Association demands speedy resolution of teachers' issues

NEW DELHI: A Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) delegation met the varsity officials, including Dean of Colleges Balaram Pani, on Friday seeking speedy resolutions to long-pending issues such as those related to differently-abled teachers and the workload of the English department. Differently-abled teachers were also part of the delegation led by DUTA president AK Bhagi, the DU teachers' body said in a statement.

Besides Pani, the delegation also met DU Director, South Campus, Prakash Singh. They demanded "speedy resolution of long-pending issues of teachers such as the issues related to differently-abled teachers, the workload of English department, counting of past services in promotion for Central Institute of Education (CIE) teachers, eligibility date of Law Faculty teachers, School of Journalism and roster issues of some colleges", according to the statement.

The delegation, with DUTA vice president Pradeep Kumar, Secretary Surender Singh and Treasurer Chaman Singh as members, demanded that the university authorities take"proactive steps" to ensure that the principals of all colleges provide basic amenities for differently-abled teachers such as an enabling unit, lift, tactile path and ramp, braille printer and screen reader software.

"Bhagi further raised the issue of workload related to the English department and showed his grave concern about the reduction of workload due to implementation of the new structure of UGCF syllabus from the academic session 2022-23," the statement read. In this regard, he also asked the DU officials to find out the "quantum of change" in the workload of the department to be fetched from the principals and take all necessary steps, if required. He also demanded that the university administration should write to all the principals to implement in letter and spirit the 22nd March 2022 Academic Council recommendations (Paragraph 3) which protect the displacement of Ad-hoc teachers due to the implementation of the new structure in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

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Further, Bhagi emphasized rectifying promotion-related hurdles and counting of the past services of teachers of CIE and others to give them benefits of promotion. He informed the officials that there are only four years of ad-hoc experiences which are counted for promotion here at Delhi University. Besides, he also emphasised the need to urgently address the issue related to the eligibility date of Law Faculty teachers and roster issues of some of the colleges. In addition, he asked to implement the EC resolution of making the School of Journalism the Department of Journalism and start its functioning from the 2022-23 academic session itself. "The DUTA delegation demanded that teachers' issues should be taken on an urgent basis to make the teaching-learning environment more amiable and smooth," the statement read.