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Speedy Trial in Sexual Harassment Cases, DUTA President writes to the VC

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Rajib Ray, the President of Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), on behalf of DUTA has written to the Vice-Chancellor of the University on 17th April expressing concern over the recent sexual harassment cases that have come to light.

The letter stated various violations by the colleges. It has been observed that the accused is often a person of authority and is successful in intimidating and silencing the complainants and witnesses. Despite this, stern action is not taken against the accused which raises doubts about the inquiry committee and process. A number of colleges/departments have flouted the University Grants Commission’s guideline for conducting student elections for the Internal Complaints Committee. In cases where reports have been submitted to the Apex Committee, the recommendations have not been placed before the Executive Council for implementation. The other cases have not been pursued in a time-bound manner leading to the subversion of justice and redressal.

It has also been articulated that women students and employees continue to face sexual harassment. The DUTA President has urged the Vice-Chancellor to take the cases from Department of Chemistry and African Studies, Swami Shraddhanand College, Bharti College, Daulat Ram College, and College of Vocational Studies seriously.

In conversation with DU Beat, Abha Deb Habib, an active member of DUTA added, a University with 1.5 lakh students in regular courses and over four lakh students in SOL (School of Open Learning) has to provide a safe environment for women students, which means that there cannot be any kind of laxity in handling cases of sexual harassment. With a large number of outstation students, it becomes even more crucial to provide them safety. It is unfortunate to see that in the Chemistry Department case, the Head was not removed while the inquiry was taking place against him on charges of sexual harassment. A system of fair and time-bound inquiry is a must if we wish to curb this social problem and empower our women students.

 

Feature Image Credits: Counter Currents
Prachi Mehra
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Hundreds participate in DUTA’s People’s March

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On 28th of March, the much-anticipated People’s March led by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) saw the participation of hundreds of students, workers, and teachers. The demonstrators raised an array of issues like the 70:30 funding formula, Self-financing of courses, Negative Pay and Service Conditions of teachers, attack on Reservation and Loan-funding through Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA), etc. The march commenced from Barakhamba Road at 1:00 PM and finally culminated in a huge public meeting on Parliament Street at 3:30 PM.

Before starting the march Manish Sisodia, who is the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and holds the Education portfolio, addressed the gathering. He expressed solidarity with DUTA and other student and staff associations. “This fight is not just yours or your teachers, it’s our fight. We all get affected by education. Today, from this platform, I pledge my, Aam Aadmi Party’s, and the Delhi government’s support to your cause.” he said.
The demonstration that was peaceful and planned was closely watched by heavy police deployment. Students carried snazzy posters and expressed their anger in emphatic yet lively manner. Predominantly the participation was from girls colleges, like Jesus and Mary College, Kamala Nehru College, Gargi College, and Lady Sri Ram College. Ramjas College, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, and Pannalal Girdharlal Dayanand Anglo Vedic College also participated in huge numbers. Busses stationed outside the colleges picked up students for the march.

Teachers and students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, and Jamia Millia Islamia also joined the People’s March. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) members of Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) shared the stage with DUTA and other allied groups. Several representatives from political parties addressed the gathering at the end.
Brinda Karat of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sanjay Singh of Aam Admi Party, and Sushmita Dev of Congress. Some protesters were seen perturbed at the presence of politicians in a non-partisan protest.

In a press release, DUTA explained the reason for the protest and wrote, “Government is keen to withdraw public-funding, impose Self-financing models on public-sector universities and colleges and force them to take loans for infrastructure by mortgaging public resources like buildings and land as collaterals. This puts a question-mark on the affordability of higher education. It also manifests itself in the Government’s unwillingness to appoint adequate teachers on a permanent basis, allow fair promotional avenues, and give pensions to retired teachers. University has been hit hard by all these issues in recent times. It has also been forced to start new courses in Journalism, Cyber Security and Strategic Diplomacy on Self-financing mode with teachers appointed on short-term contracts. This has severely affected the quality of teachers and the student-teacher ratio in the university. More than 50% of its faculty across colleges and departments are forced to work on ad-hoc and guest basis, without any job security or service benefits.”

While this powerful and passionate march has evoked awareness about government’s policy amongst DU students, but whether or not this will result in constructive policy change can only be seen with time.

 

Feature Image Credits: Bhavya Banerjee for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral
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Campus Central

ABVP clashes with students during the DUTA Strike at Sri Venkateswara College

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The DUTA strike held from the 19th of March witnessed student quarters of different colleges espousing the cause of the teachers’ strike. In the event of the unfortunate lack of camaraderie between two student groups enveloped by a conflict of interests, a tussle broke out in Sri Venkateswara College on the 23rd of March 2018. There were allegations by a group of students who were protesting with the teachers, that members of the ABVP unit of the college stormed their protest and disrupted the strike.

In a phone call conversation with the DU Beat correspondent, Akangsha Chetri, a student protester, described the incident, “While we were striking along with the teachers, the Vice President Alok Rajput and the Joint Secretary Sanjay Sharma walked in with a group of people who aren’t even from our college. They were carrying Bhagat Singh’s poster because it was his birthday. And they suddenly announced that they’d be organising a tribute and asked us to move from there. They said that our music was disrupting their program.” She went on to say, “We tried to talk it out peacefully. We told them that we would turn our music down, but then they started threatening male members of the strike with physical violence. They flung abuses at the girls. One of our professors C. Rawat who tried to mediate was insulted.”

Student protester Nikhil alleged, “While the ABVP people flagged slogans such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, they also screamed ‘Vaampanthiyon Ko Kabar Mein Daalo’ (bury the communists), thereby referring to the protesters.”

In lieu of the incident, some of the student protesters had decided to hold a silent protest outside the administration office on the 24th of March, wherein they would wear black and put tape over their mouth. It was supposed to commence at 10:45 a.m. However, as told to this correspondent by Prema, the hostel President, the administration released a notice early in the morning informing the students that the college would remain closed for the occasion of Navratri. The correspondent was further informed that the protesters weren’t allowed to hold their silent protest in the college premises thereafter.

When the DU Beat approached the President of the college Prabal, he observed, “Taali Kabhi Ek Haat Se Nahi Bajti (you need both hands to clap). Both sides are at fault. The ABVP members had requested the striking students to lower the volume of their music, but the striking students started shouting anti-ABVP slogans. The ABVP members got enraged and that resulted in a tussle.”

When asked about a video of the tussle uploaded online by a professor, Prabal remarked, “Some of the striking teachers are biased towards the students who support their cause.” He further went on to assert, “These students share the leftist ideology. Some of them are even members of All India Students’ Association (AISA).”

On being asked about the future course of action, Akangsha said, “We have been able to procure a promise of action from the administration with regards to the security of the campus and also regarding the filing of FIRs against people who were accused. So right now, we are writing testimonies and sending applications to the Principal to bring justice to our students.”

 

Feature Image Credits: Akangsha Chetri

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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DUTA Takes to the Street Against the Discrepancies in the Permanent Recruitment Drive

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The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, has removed 43 and added 87 new faculty members to its more-than-one-decade overdue recruitment drive. The permanent recruitment drive at the University of Delhi has sparked a controversy as many ad hoc teachers who served the University for several years have alleged discrepancies in the selection procedure. The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) came to the rescue of the ad-hoc teachers by holding a university-wide strike today and marched while sloganeering from the Faculty of Arts to the Vice Chancellor Office. The march was followed by a public meeting.

Immediate recruitment and absorption of all the long-serving ad-hoc teachers was the prime demand. The selection procedure did not account for the University Grants Commission (UGC) recommended ’50/30/20′ formula where the first 50 points are for academic and research, 30 for domain knowledge, teaching skills and teaching experience, and 20 for the interview. The recruitment process results have not been declared yet. Teachers allege lack of transparency in the permanent recruitment drive.

Prof. Anil Kumar Vishwakarma who got sacked from Faculty of Law after the recruitment drive told DU Beat that, “There is no clarity in the ’50/30/20′ formula ordained by the UGC. If they had followed these then those who are teaching at the faculty for almost a decade should have been considered. The ad-hoc members continue to teach at the university after clearing internal interviews every six months. I, myself have cleared that interview five times.”

Dr. Rajib Ray, the DUTA President, told DU Beat that, “The senior teachers who have been serving the university for a long time should be considered and there should be complete transparency in the ’50/30/20′ rule coined by the UGC. All the information should be put in the public domain.”

The teachers are demanding an independent probe. The sacked teachers have resorted to the legal discourse.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Sandeep Samal

[email protected]

 

 

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New Year Not Happy As Professors Go Without Salaries

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The professors of the 12 DU colleges have been caught in the crossfire between the university and the government.  Professors claim that they do not have money to pay off their regular bills. These professors had to greet the New Year with empty pockets. 

An ongoing row between the University of Delhi and Delhi Government has resulted in the freezing of funds for 12 DU colleges. This has not been a ‘happy’ new year for some teachers of the DU. Around 12 colleges including Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Rajguru College, Maharaja Agrasen College, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which get 100% funding from the Delhi government have no resources left to pay their staff, after the government stopped the funds in July over a tussle on the names for governing body with the university administration.

S.K. Garg, the Principal of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which is fully funded by the Delhi Government, told India Today, “We are neither in a position to pay salary to our staff nor do we have funds for paying electricity, water, and telephone bills. Financially, everything is held up, as we have not paid our outsourced security staff and sanitation staff,” He also informed that college had to divert funds to ensure the basic functioning of the college.

The President of DUTA, Mr. Rajib Ray, told DU Beat that he has written to the Vice Chancellor and the Delhi Government regarding the tussle. “It is very unfortunate that the professors are suffering due to the non-payment of the salaries,” told Ray to DU Beat.

The Principals are particularly concerned about the salaries of the non-teaching staff because their everyday needs may be affected due to this delay.  Aware of the crisis, a senior official of Delhi Government’s education department, told Mail Today on condition of anonymity, “Delhi government will release the salary as soon as the names of panel members of governing body are submitted to us by the university,”

 

 Feature Image Credits: India Today

Sandeep Samal

[email protected]

 

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DUB News

New Year Not-So-Happy as many Professors Go Without Salaries

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An ongoing row between the University of Delhi and Delhi government has resulted in the freezing of funds for 12 DU colleges. This has not been a ‘happy’ new year for many teachers of the University of Delhi. Around 12 colleges including Gargi College, Kamala Nehru College, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Shaheed Rajguru College, Maharaja Agrasen College, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which get 100% funding from the Delhi government have no resources left to pay their staff, after the Delhi government froze funds in July over a tussle on the names for governing body with the university administration.

The professors of 12 DU colleges have been caught in this crossfire between the University and the government.  Professors claim that they do not have money to pay off their regular bills. These professors had to greet the New Year with empty pockets.

S K Garg, the principal of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, which is fully funded by the Delhi government told India Today, “We are neither in a position to pay salary to our staff nor do we have funds for paying electricity, water, and telephone bills. Financially, everything is held up, as we have not paid our outsourced security staff and sanitation staff,” He also informed that the college had to divert funds to ensure the basic functioning of the college.

The President of DUTA, Mr. Rajib Ray, told DU Beat that he has written to the Vice Chancellor and the Delhi Government regarding the tussle. “It is very unfortunate that the professors are suffering due to the non-payment of the salaries,” Ray told DU Beat.

The principals are particularly concerned about the salaries of the non-teaching staff because their everyday needs may be affected due to this delay.

Aware of the crisis, a senior official of Delhi government’s education department under the condition of anonymity told Mail Today, “Delhi government will release the salary as soon as the names of the panel of members of governing body are submitted to us by the university.”

Feature Image Credits: Indian Express

 

Sandeep Samal

[email protected]

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DUTA Delegation Meets With Manish Sisodia to Request Continuation of Funds

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A delegation from DUTA (Delhi University Teachers’ Association), including the DUTA President Rajib Ray, met the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, to plead to the state government to roll back its order of freezing funds of the 28 University of Delhi colleges it funds. The teachers collectively requested the government because the colleges are finding it difficult to fund salaries for teaching and non-teaching staff in those colleges.

In a written appeal to the Delhi Government, they wrote, “We support your insistence that governing bodies must be fully constituted at the earliest. However, we have now learnt that the colleges are finding it difficult to release salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff. Any delay in the release of salaries will cause a crisis in the personal lives of the employees and their families.”
On 31st July, Manish Sisodia, the Delhi Minister of Education directed a freeze of grants for the 28 colleges it fully or partially funds. In a tweet, he claimed that it was a “deliberate and mala fide attempt to delay the formation of governing bodies by DU”. On 14th August, the list of governing bodies was finally sent by DU but was rejected by the government on procedural grounds. The stand-off has been since October last year when Delhi University was required to send a list of its governing bodies of all the colleges.

Image Credits: Indian Express

Vijeata Balani

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Campus Central

University Teachers Bodies Court Arrest on the Teachers’ Day

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The All India Federation of University & College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) and Federation of Central Universities’ Teachers’ Associations (FEDCUTA) held a protest and courted arrest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, on 5th September against the nondisclosure of the Chouhan Committee Report for 7th Pay Review Committee (PRC) and raised other demands regarding public higher education institutions in the country.
As per the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA)’s press release of the protest, “Pay Review Committee Report was submitted to MHRD more than six months ago. The PRC, that deals not only with pay revision but with all aspects of teachers’ service conditions, including permanent recruitment, promotions and pension, is expected to have made positive recommendations to address the grievances of teachers regarding contractualisation and adhocism of services.” AIFUCTO also sent a letter to the Prime Minister to intervene and implement the PRC recommendations, saying “We have repeatedly written to MHRD and UGC to share the content of the 7th Pay Review Committee Recommendations, a practice that has been followed by all previous governments because AIFUCTO is the apex organization representing the university and college teachers in the country”. Despite meeting with Human Resources Development Minister Mr Prakash Javadekar in May this year and being assured of the report’s release in a month, there are no signs of action regarding the same. Along with the PRC report declaration, the protesting teachers also raised demands of increasing the education allocation to 10% of the GDP, 100% funding of Government State and Central Universities and resisting the privatisation of Universities via granting autonomous status.
Rajya Sabha MP, D. Raja(CPI) also led a delegation of AIFUCTO and FEDCUTA Office Bearers to meet the HRD Minister on the day of the protest. The delegation also included the newly elected President of DUTA and FEDCUTA, Dr Rajib Ray, who said that the Minister assured of the disclosure of the PRC recommendations soon, but could not explain the delay. Mr Ray also said that such a move has been unprecedented because the PRC recommendations are to be made public every time. He also stressed the importance of a written document rather than verbal assurances, and that equal assistance must be provided to Central and State Universities.

 

Image Credits: National Herald

Rishika Singh

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Rajib Ray of DTF Elected as New DUTA President

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On Thursday, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) conducted its elections for the post of President and fifteen Executive Committee members. Rajib Ray, a professor of Philosophy from Kirori Mal College and the leftist Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), was named the President of DUTA on Friday morning by scoring 2636 votes.

The elections were held in Arts Faculty, North Campus. Teachers from colleges across Delhi came to cast their votes from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday evening. This year, the voter turnout was massive as it amassed to an estimate of 7,200 members.

Rajib Ray told The Hindu, “We are looking forward to fighting against the failures of the government and other authorities. Timely disbursement of pension and setting up of a review committee are our top priorities.”

In his manifesto, Ray questioned the prevalent education policies and raised important issues such as those of privatisation and autonomy of DU colleges. He said “Education policy is currently being dictated by the NITI Aayog, whose CEO recently proclaimed that the government should “hand over schools, colleges, jails to the private sector”. Its Draft Action Plan is being pushed through various UGC Regulations. The Draft on Graded Autonomy defines three categories of universities based on NAAC scores and NIRF rank.” He even criticised the DU administration by saying that “The DU administration has been deaf to the denial of promotion to thousands of teachers and forced them to go to the Court. It has surrendered to the Ministry of Human Resources Development directive to appeal against the positive Court order on pensions.”

His main motto is to defend public education. With such a win, a lot is expected from his tenure as the new President of DUTA.

 

Feature Image Credits: Democratic Teachers’ Front

Bhavya Banerjee
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Teachers’ bodies announce candidates for upcoming DUTA elections

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Elections for the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) are scheduled to be held on August 31, 2017. The elections would be held for the post of the President and 15 members of the executive committee for 2017-2019, a report in Hindustan Times indicates.

Three different teachers’ bodies have already fielded their candidates for the post of President, who have to file their nominations on 22nd and 23rd of August. The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), which is a left-affiliated body, has announced Professor Rajib Ray as its candidate. Professor Ray is an associate professor of the Philosophy Department at Kirorimal College, North Campus. The University Teachers’ Forum (UTF)’s fielded candidate is Dr. Surender Singh Rana, a professor of Political Science at Shivaji College. The BJP-affiliated National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF) has announced Professor VS Negi of Shaheed Bhagat Singh (Evening) College as its presidential candidate. Professor Negi was the runner up last year, when, according to a previous report in DU Beat, his final tally was 2164.

The past 2 elections for the post of president were won by Ms. Nandita Narain, Associate professor of mathematics at St. Stephen’s college. Professor Narain is affiliated to the DTF.

 

Feature Image Credits: CNS Kashmir

Shireen Manocha

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