Last month, the court had issued a notice to DU authorities after a PIL was filed by the Indian Council of Legal Aid and Advice, seeking to introduce a biometric system to register the attendance of lecturers and other teaching staff of the university. The PIL said that the attendance system should be introduced to ensure that a teacher “adheres to the teaching hours and days prescribed by the UGC and the university rules”. As per the UGC norms, the workload of teachers should not be less than 40 hours a week for 180 teaching days, apart from being available for at least five hours daily in the college. The working hours actually put in by a lecturer in Delhi University daily are just about three and half hours per day currently.
The affidavit filed by the registrar said: “The University of Delhi is committed to adopt and implement measures which are favourable and beneficial to the university system as a whole, such as the biometric system of attendance for its teachers in order to ensure their presence in colleges and ensure the participation of all teachers in the teaching/learning process.” Emphasising on the perquisites of teachers the affidavit read, “The teachers after the implementation of sixth pay commission have lucrative pay packets and are expected to fully justify the trust and confidence reposed by the society on them by working tirelessly for the betterment of the taught so as to prepare them for facing the challenges of life with confidence and knowledge.” The plea also stated that it seemed that the university was not implementing the biometric system under pressure from teachers’ unions. The university had tried to introduce the system in 2009, but had to hastily withdraw the order after Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) went on strike in protest.
This time around however, Delhi University has assured the Delhi High Court that it would adopt and implement the biometric attendance system for teachers to ensure punctuality. Following the assurance, the court disposed of the plea saying, “On the assurance given by the university, the court hopes and expects that biometric system of attendance would be introduced expeditiously.” The teachers are not expected to stall the move, which is aimed at uplifting the standards of teaching facilities.
Sakshi Gupta
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Thirteen colleges including two renowned Delhi University colleges namely Gargi and Sri Venkateswara affiliated to UGC have been struck off from the status of ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ for not being re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Sri Venkateswara and Gargi were two of the 47 colleges that were awarded ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ status in 2004 by the University Grants Commission.
The other colleges in the list include Ch.S.D.St.Theresa’s College for Women (Andhra Pradesh), M.N.C.Balika Mahavidyalaya (Assam), St. Xavier’s College (Ranchi), Mount Carmel College (Bengaluru), St. Agnes College (Mangalore), Padmashri Vikhe Patil College of Arts, Science & Comerce (Ahmednagar), St. Anthony’s College (Meghalaya), Khallikote College (Orissa), Fakir Mohan College (Orissa), S.G.N. Khalsa College (Rajasthan), and Pt. L.M.S. Govt. Post Graduate College (Uttaranchal)
The principal of Gargi college, Meera Ramachandran said, “Though we have not been informed officially by the UGC, as no copy of such a letter has been received by the college yet, it is highly unfortunate that the college has to be penalized as the accreditation by NAAC has to be taken care by DU and not independently by colleges. Even after living up to the title and conducting many projects, it is highly disheartening”.
On asking if there was anything that was being done to make amends, she further exclaimed that further steps, if any, would be taken only after the receiving of the official letter.
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