Delhi University (DU) teachers, who have been boycotting the evaluation process for undergraduate exams for the last four days in protest against the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) latest gazette notification, have decided to continue the boycott.
The teachers are opposing a UGC notification, which increased the workload of assistant professors from 16 hours of ‘direct teaching’ to 24 hours per week. For associate professors, it went up from 14 to 22 hours per week.
While the continued boycott of evaluation process is likely to delay results this year, teachers have decided to go on with it.
The decision was taken at the General Body meeting of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Saturday. The meeting culminated in a spontaneous protest march that weaved its way through the entire main campus and various colleges of the university.
‘Mass movement’
“DUTA’s General Body Meeting witnessed a historic gathering in which teachers resolved to take the attack to the government’s doorstep and build a mass movement against its draconian policy of draining academic talent from public-funded universities and facilitating privatisation through the backdoor,” a statement from DUTA read.
March on Monday
DUTA has also been getting support from other teachers’ organisations across the country including fraternal teachers’ associations in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (AIFUCTO).
“It (DUTA) has decided to extend evaluation boycott for five days and has given a call for a Peoples’ Protest March to the Parliament on Monday. Student organisations and member associations of the FEDCUTA and the two State universities, IPUTA and AUDFA, are expected to participate in the March as well,” the statement added.
The protesting teachers are demanding “immediate withdrawal of the recent UGC amendments and a complete scrapping of the current API-system”, “restoration of public spending on higher education and greater allocation to the UGC in the Budget”, “release of the second tranche of teaching posts as promised under the OBC-Expansion Scheme”.
Admission process
Teachers have also threatened to boycott the admission process if the Human Resources Ministry does not act upon their demands. Admissions to undergraduate courses in the university are going to start from June 1 and the process will be completely online from this year.
Evaluation boycott extended by five days; protest march to Parliament
planned for tomorrow
