DU teachers object to competitive pay for foreign faculty

NEWDELHI: Teachers of Delhi University have raised objections over the varsity’s proposal to recruit foreign faculty on “competitive salaries” as mentioned in the Institute of Eminence (IOE) proposal. Executive Council (EC) members raised the issue on Monday after they received a copy of the proposal last week.

The ministry of human resources development had awarded IOE status to DU in September last year which meant it would be eligible for a government grant of ₹1,000 crore.

Teachers also objected to the proposal submitted by DU, saying it would encourage privatisation and contractualisation of employees.

The fresh set of objections comes in the backdrop of DU teachers protesting for over two months, demanding absorption of ad hoc teachers.

EC member Rajesh Jha said, “The administration says that IOE has been brought in to improve rankings of the varsity. Why not work on the lopsided existing teacher-student ratio to improve that? There is no mention on absorbing teachers who have been working for years or even that of promotions and appointments.”

Rajib Ray, president of Delhi University’s Teachers’ Association, said, “The entire proposal was submitted without discussion and the approval of statutory bodies. It will change the existing structure and character of the university.”

Despite repeated attempts, head of the IOE committee did not comment on the matter.