DU administration holds meeting with teachers' association
The Delhi University administration held an overnight meeting with the members of the DU Teachers' Association (DUTA) and appealed to them to withdraw their agitation. The DUTA said the meeting did not yield any concrete results. The university administration was open to discuss any relevant issue in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, it said.
The agitation of the DUTA was "uncalled for", a statement from the university said, adding that it had always been responsive to the issues of teachers and others and open to discussions for their peaceful and amicable solution.
The deans of colleges and university officials met the president and other office-bearers of DUTA on December 1 and had a detailed discussion with them, insisting not to opt for a path of agitation in view of the ongoing semester examinations and evaluation in the interests of students, the university said.
"Unfortunately, the appeal of the university was not heeded to and some anti-democratic elements indulged in violence and disruption of academic activities against the interests of the students and the university," it added.
Protesting against a circular mandating appointment of guest teachers, instead of making the ad-hoc faculty permanent, almost 5,000 DU teachers entered a building housing the vice chancellor's (VC) office on Wednesday after breaking three gates and allegedly painted graffiti on the historic structure.
The university said such activities deserved to be condemned in any democratic society. To preserve public property and abjure violence were the fundamental duties of every citizen of the country, it added.
According to the DU, the vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor, registrar, proctor, dean (admissions), along with senior officials of the university, met the DUTA office-bearers on the intervening night of December 4 and 5 and had a six-hour discussion on various issues raised by the teacher's association.
"It was conveyed to the DUTA office-bearers that the university administration was open to discuss any relevant issue in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. An appeal was made to the teachers to withdraw the agitation to facilitate an amicable dialogue," the DU said.
The university had already started the recruitment process of faculty members on permanent basis as per UGC Regulations, 2018 and was committed to concluding it at the earliest, it added.
The university has directed the colleges to expedite and complete the process of recruitment of permanent faculty at the earliest. The DUTA said the massive protest by teachers had woken up the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry to start a dialogue.
"The police has barricaded the entrance to the Viceregal Lodge to prevent further entry of teachers. The DUTA president came out to appeal to the teachers, who were outside, to carry on with their protest peacefully," the teachers' association said.
The teachers have occupied the VC office, demanding absorption of the ad-hoc teachers.
The decision to go on a strike was taken after the DU issued a circular on August 28, which mandated that only appointments of guest teachers could be made against substantive vacancies arising for the first time in the current academic session.
The teachers are demanding withdrawal of the circular and a one-time regulation for absorption of the ad-hoc teachers.
The teachers said every four months, the contracts of the ad-hoc teachers were renewed, but it had not happened owing to the August 28 letter, which had put the future of almost 4,500 ad-hoc teachers in jeopardy.
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