DUTA chief starts online plea seeking President's intervention in absorption of ad-hoc professors

NEW DELHI: Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) chief A K Bhagi has started an online petition seeking President Ram Nath Kovind's intervention for one-time absorption of nearly 4,500 ad-hoc and temporary professors in the institute. The petition to Kovind, who is a visitor to the university, claimed that assistant professors have been languishing in various colleges and departments of the university amid job and social insecurity.

"This is a serious concern of these teachers who are working on ad-hoc or temporary basis on full-time, approved, sanctioned and substantive posts. If their concern is not addressed in a proper and time-bound manner, it will prove disastrous for their careers and teaching-learning process in the Delhi University," read the petition.

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Assistant professors working on an ad-hoc basis are initially appointed for four months under the Delhi University EC resolution of December 27, 2007, and the positions on which they work are usually permanent sanction posts.

"Those who are temporary are paid full salary in the UGC pay scale with full allowances and annual increment as admissible to a government servant and with continuous services, without any notional break. "However they are discriminated from permanent teachers on account of promotion and they remain assistant professors irrespective of their length of service and academic achievements," the petition stated.

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It added that the ad-hoc teachers are paid initial of full UGC pay scale without any increment but with full allowances. "They are given a one-day notional break after 120 days or before and then their services are renewed. The most unfavourable condition is that they are under the constant threat of losing their jobs anytime." These teachers are deprived of all rightful benefits such as annual increments, promotion, medical benefits, leaves, etc, it said, adding that female colleagues have been denied their right of availing maternity and child care leaves.

It urged President Kovind to direct the Ministry of Education to "consider and meet the legitimate and genuine demand of absorbing the teachers working on ad-hoc/temporary basis observing all constitutional provisions of reservation".