DUTA takes to streets demanding ordinance for faculty roster

NEW DELHI: Thousands of teachers from Delhi University (DU) and other universities on Tuesday took to the streets demanding an ordinance to restore the 200-point roster in faculty recruiting in DU. 
The march was organised at the call of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA). 
The protestors marched from Mandi House to Parliament street. 

“The government’s delay in promulgating an ordinance in the current Budget session of the Parliament in favour of the 200-point college/university unit-wise roster has put in danger jobs of a large number of teachers belonging to SC, ST and OBC communities,” DUTA said in a statement.  It said the constitutionally-mandated reservation percentage for these categories in teaching jobs “will remain unfulfilled”. 

“The directive issued by the UGC to universities in 2006 asking them to make teaching roster taking college/university as a unit is based on this very argument... refusal to stand by social justice and safeguard the 200-point institution-wise roster threatens huge retrenchment and mass dislocation of temporary and ad hoc teachers,” it added.

The DUTA demanded that the government must direct the university to withdraw SLP against Category I and II of pensioners. It also stressed that the government must restore the GPF cum Pension Scheme for all teachers and employees appointed after January 1, 2004 so that they can get the benefit of assured pension. 

“The existing NPS must be scrapped at the earliest,” it added. 
DUTA alleged that the Central government was trying to privatise higher education and DU and its constituent colleges through schemes like Tripartite MoU, Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA), autonomous colleges and the imposition of CCS-ESMA. 

“DUTA has strongly opposed all such schemes and will continue to oppose the government’s plan to convert higher education from a grants-based economy to the loan-based economy.
“The inaction by the Vice Chancellor has paralysed the University. DUTA is demanding removal of the Vice Chancellor for misgovernance.”