Lakshmibai College will be the first college in the University of Delhi to set up a crèche facility in August for the children of the college staff. The teaching and non-teaching staff will be able to bring their children to work, the timings for which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The crèche will consist of two rooms, a play room, and a pantry. It will have recreational facilities for children, including toys and material for painting and clay moulding.
The idea for this crèche came from the college staff approaching the Principal to request provisions for those who had infants and younger children that they could not leave at home.
Currently, according to the standard guidelines for Delhi University, permanent teachers get a maternity leave for six months and childcare leave for up to two years, the latter of which they can take in breaks or in one stretch. With reference to the crèche, the Principal of Lakshmibai College told Hindustan Times that she was confident that this facility would reduce the number of childcare leaves that teachers take. This would then allow them to focus more on their work.
The crèche will have at least two members of support staff to take care of the children. There are also plans to renovate an empty garage for older kids.
Sonica Singhi, a teacher of Economics at Lakshmibai College is currently on childcare leave and told Hindustan Times that the crèche will be of great help to her and other professors with toddlers. She said she will now be able to take her classes without having to worry about her child as she can check on him in between classes and breastfeed him. She feels that workplaces need to have such facilities for their employees and that it would lead to more productivity.
The initial building cost will be borne by the college but the recurring maintenance costs will be taken care of by monthly payments by staff wishing to avail the facility.
This decision and its implementation serve as a positive step towards catering for the welfare of the college’s employees.
Feature Image Credits: DU Beat
Bhavya Banerjee
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