Opinion divided on appointment of ad-hoc teachers in Delhi University

In 2013, DU had around 4,500 ad-hoc teachers. Some of them have been teaching for as long as 18 years

Most of them have Ph.Ds but they earn very little and also do not know when and if they will get a pay check for the next month. These are the teachers in their late 20s and some even in their 30s and 40s who were hired on a temporary basis in Delhi University and are yet to be made permanent. Some of them have been teaching for as long as 18 years while some were appointed only last year.

In 2013, Delhi University had around 4,500 teachers who worked on an ad-hoc basis. The opinion is divided over their appointments. Many say that the university’s teaching standards have gone down quite significantly over the last three years; some blame the four-year undergraduate programme for encouraging ad-hocs; while others insist that FYUP at least created jobs, even if on an ad-hoc basis.

“Most of the teachers who were being appointed were not equipped to teach in our college. The university made these appointments on its own. We have teachers who have been teaching on an ad-hoc basis for years who teach well and are knowledgeable about their subjects. We want to make them permanent but we cannot because of the university’s refusals. The standard of the college is coming down but there is nothing I can do about it for now,” said a principal of a well-known college.

The university had decided to hold marathon interviews for about 4,500 applicants for positions in 63 colleges but the move faced severe criticism.

“A job is not guaranteed if you go for an interview. A teacher applying will need to go to at least more than one college. This way, it was impossible for the interviews to be held simultaneously in all the colleges,” said Delhi University Teachers’ Association president Nandita Narain. She added that the UGC letter directing all principals to keep the teachers who were appointed on the last working day was welcome, since it avoided panic and confusion.

Other teachers’ organisations too have been trying to highlight the issue. “We have been holding dharnas continuously to highlight this issue. Despite the UGC letter, many colleges went ahead and conducted interviews and recruited new ad-hocs causing loss of summer salary to older ones. Those ad-hoc teachers who have lost their jobs have no respite from this letter,” said Rajesh Jha from the Academics for Action and Development.