Ad hoc DU teachers allege bias in hiring

DU has over 4,000 faculty members teaching on an ad hoc basis for years.

A number of ad hoc teachers from various Delhi University (DU) colleges have alleged that there is rampant favouritism in recruitment of permanent teaching staff in the university. “DU has been following one rule religiously in recruitment of teachers—favouritism,” said a professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, on the condition of anonymity.

The professor, recalling how he was not selected as a permanent teaching staff by DU, said: “I qualified UGC’s NETJRF exams during my M.Phil. I had research papers to my credit. My contemporaries and even juniors, despite, having academically low profiles, got permanent teaching posts, but when it came to my selection, they ignored my merit during the interviews.”

“Fortunately, in 2015, I was selected by IIT Guwahati as Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,” the professor added.

Sanjeev Roy, another applicant for a permanent teaching post and currently an ad hoc teacher at a DU college said, “I have been applying for permanent teaching staff posts in various DU colleges since five years, without success. Also, in order to secure a permanent teaching post in one of the DU colleges, I even end up doing the household chores for several faculty members of that college as it is clear that recruitment in DU is only on the basis of recommendation.”

“The DU has over 4,000 faculty members teaching on an ad hoc basis for years. If the university had really wanted fair recruitment of teaching staff, it could have made the service of the ad hoc teachers permanent,” Sanjeev Roy told The Sunday Guardian.

On the condition of anonymity, an applicant for a permanent teaching post said: “I have spent almost Rs 11,000 as recruitment application fee, hoping that I will get a permanent faculty post in DU. It has been almost seven years that I am teaching as an ad hoc in DU. Now, my frustration level has gone up. When I see my juniors teaching as permanent teachers in the DU colleges, I curse myself for having no suitable connections.”

A DU literature professor, on the condition of anonymity, said: “DU is not only witnessing favouritism, but is also in the grip of a lackadaisical approach. For over two years, around 70 teachers belonging to the departments of African studies, commerce, social work, political science and the cluster innovation centre were not allotted their confirmation letters despite being appointed. The DU administration responded only when a massive protest was launched against it. These teachers were kept on probation for over 12 months which is against the norms of the University Grant’s Commission.

Commenting on allegations of favouritism in recruitment, Rajesh Jha, DU’s Executive Council (EC) member and general secretary (GS) of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), said: “There is always a scope for betterment and the DU administration must ensure a free and fair recruitment process. Also, absorption of almost 4,000 ad hoc teaching staff will be the best way to fill the vacancies as these ad hoc teachers are equally qualified as the permanent ones. A 10-minute interview cannot judge their academic excellence. The current recruitment process will drive them out from DU.”

“At DU, roughly 50% teachers are working on an ad hoc basis and that is in contravention to the UGC’s norms, which stipulate that not more than one-third teachers can be on ad hoc or temporary basis,” Jha added.

Despite repeated attempts by The Sunday Guardian to get reactions from DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi and Registrar T.K. Das about DU’s alleged favouritism in recruitment, they were not available to make any comment on the issue.

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