‘Preserve the egalitarian spirit’: DU teachers urge VC to intervene on colleges offering coaching

NEW DELHI: Delhi University’s teachers body, Democratic Teachers’ Front, has urged university’s vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh to intervene in the matter of DU colleges offering coaching to students for competitive exams. In a letter to Singh, DTF said, “We appeal to you to urgently intervene in this matter and direct these colleges to withdraw these profit making private coaching schemes and preserve the egalitarian spirit of our university. An inquiry must be constituted to further investigate this serious matter.” The reaction comes after reports of Swami Shraddhanand and Hansraj offering IAS coaching surfaced.

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Disappointed over the issue, DTF members said “Delhi University is known for its undergraduate teaching. In its Centenary year, news of colleges turning into coaching centres is an unfortunate one.”

The teachers’ body was concerned over colleges like Swami Shraddhanand and Hansraj using the college premises to charge huge fees from students while offering coaching. It took the instance of Ramanujan College which recently advertised a private coaching course for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) only to withdraw it following adverse public reaction.

Two DU colleges offering IAS coaching

DTF said that it became cognizant of the fact that Swami Shraddhanand College is planning to start private coaching for Indian Administrative Services (IAS) classes charging a sum of Rs 1,50,000 for a period of 3 years. Similarly, Hansraj College has been running this course charging fees of Rs 1,50,000 for this 3 year course. Ramanujan College had advertised Rs 12,000 course fees for CUET coaching.

“The fact that all these details have been notified unabashedly on their college websites seriously derails the purpose and role of public funded institutions to impart quality subsidised education for all sections of society,” it said.

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The teachers’ front asked in the letter whether “Delhi University has given permission to its colleges to become centres of such private tuitions and hubs of profiteering.” It expressed shock over Ramanujan College’s plan of running private coaching centre for CUET for enrollment of students to DU colleges including itself. It also found it astounding that “the Principal of Hansraj College is demanding fees for such a course in favour of "Principal Hansraj College", when it is hiring a private firm "Beacon IAS" to give private coaching.”

In a related development, the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) today staged a protest outside Delhi University's Hansraj College against its tie-up with a private institute for IAS coaching. AISA members raised slogans against what they termed the "raging privatisation of education" and carried placards that read: 'Shame on Hansraj Principal', 'No private coaching in DU', 'Beacon IAS Go Back'.