DU teachers protest new formula for reservation

TEACHERS LED BY DUTA BOYCOTTED THE UGC FORMULA TO CALCULATE RESERVATION IN TEACHING JOBS IN RESERVED QUOTAS

NEW DELHI: A group of Delhi University teachers are staging a sit-in protest outside the vicechancellor’s office, demanding that he meets the representatives of teachers’ association to resolve the ongoing stalemate over evaluation boycott.

Teachers led by the DU teachers’ association (DUTA) have been boycotting the evaluation process since May 8 to oppose a notification of University Grants Commission on the formula to calculate reservation in teaching jobs.

Teachers fear that it would significantly impact the representation of SC/ST candidates in colleges.

On Friday, four members of university bodies, including executive council members, sat outside the office of the VC.

The VC has not yet responded to calls and text messages. “Despite requests from DUTA, there could be no meeting with the VC in the last one month. The stalemate continues, and so do the sufferings of teachers as well as students. We will not leave till the VC meets our delegation,” said Rajesh Jha, an EC member.

AK Bhagi, another EC member said, “till VC agrees to meet DUTA, we will sit here. He has not given any assurance to us yet.”

The results of DU’S final year undergraduate examination is likely to be delayed by at least a week. But starting Friday, some ad-hoc teachers rejoined the evaluation process.

“We have issued an appeal to teachers but they did not respond to us. Today ad-hoc teachers have joined the evaluation. The final-year results are likely to be announced by the end of July,” said an official from the examination department.

The official also said that all colleges have been asked to send a compliance report on the evaluation process.

Earlier in the day, DUTA teams visited the evaluation centres and asked teachers to continue with the evaluation boycott.

DUTA alleged that when teachers started responding positively to t he DUTA’S appeals, policemen were called to guard the centers.

The DUTA also alleged that the administration has forced ad-hoc and guest teachers to come for evaluation.

“The administration asked us to call the ad-hoc and guest teachers for evaluation, so we did that. We know that teachers have genuine issues. But we should not delay the results,” said a principal on condition of anonymity.

However, Madhu Pruthi, principal, Keshav Mahavidyalaya, refuted the allegations. “A police official had come but for his personal work, as he wanted some i nformation regarding admission process,” Pruthi said.