The Hindu : New Delhi News : New UGC fiat comes in for flak

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

New UGC fiat comes in for flak

Staff Reporter

No ad hoc or temporary appointment of teachers; contradictory statement says DUTA

NEW DELHI: A recent notification by the University Grants Commission (UGC) asking Delhi University colleges not to make any ad hoc or temporary appointments till a further directive has come in for flak in teaching circle here with the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) accusing UGC of making contradictory statements.

The letter written by UGC allows colleges to appoint lecturers on a permanent basis, but within the limit specified by the Commission in a letter issued by it last year. While describing this as an acceptable position, DUTA said the letter, however, created confusion by asking colleges not to make any ad hoc appointments or re-employ teachers till the UGC committee on the issue works out further details.

"Organising normal teaching in Delhi University colleges is impossible without making ad hoc appointments as well as re-employing teachers. DUTA has written to UGC and the colleges that appointments can be made within the strength stipulated in the communication in 2004,'' the DUTA Secretary, Jaswinder Singh, said in a statement.

The biggest problem, feel colleges, will be filling up posts that have been left temporarily vacant. "We cannot get a temporary teacher for a post where a lecturer is on maternity leave or study leave. In such cases, the norm is to fill the post temporarily by taking an ad hoc or temporary teacher. Also, what do we do about the re-employment cases that have been already cleared by the University? This is really confusing,'' said the Ramjas College Principal, Rajender Prasad.

Condemning the letter, the Democratic Teachers' Front said the timing of the letter would make teaching impossible and create uncertainty in the teaching community.

"Not allowing colleges to make ad hoc and temporary appointments means not providing replacement for teachers who proceed on leave. Lectures, tutorials and practicals will go unmet. It will also discourage colleges from granting leave due to the teachers, the number of teaching positions sanctioned for the colleges being such that each teacher is already assigned the maximum permissible teaching load,'' DTF said in a statement.

While urging UGC to withdraw the letter, DTF has appealed to the colleges to fill their teaching posts by July 16 so that that the teaching process is not affected.

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