Aam Aadmi Party’s Teachers Wing (AADTA) organised a 12-hour Hunger Strike to protest against the Delhi University Administration on Thursday. The hunger strike was held in protest of the deliberate delay in the formation of Governing Bodies (GBs) in 28 Delhi Government Colleges and the politicisation of recruitment of teachers and principals in Delhi University (DU). The strike was attended by DU Executive Committee (EC) members, Academic Council (AC), Finance Committee, DUTA Executive Members, former DUTA & FEDCUTA Presidents & other office bearers, former EC and AC Members, and a large number of teachers.
The AADTA has been demanding the absorption of adhoc and temporary teachers in DU, which was supported by the erstwhile Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Shri Manish Sisodia. However, the university administration is using their own nominees in GBs to make the recruitment of teachers and principals in a partisan political manner. The devious intentions of the university administration have become evident from what was stated in the EC meeting on February 3 and what is being done in Bharati College.
According to Dr Aditya Narayan Misra, National Incharge of AADTA, “The AAP Teachers Wing will take its struggle further to press for our demands. Of the 12,000 teachers in DU, 6,000 are ad-hoc and temporary teachers. The university administration is indulging in massive displacements and using all designs to subvert the policy of Delhi Government for absorption. As many as 70-75% of teachers will get displaced because of the university’s current recruitment process. We will not allow the agenda of politicisation of GB formation and recruitment to succeed in DU.”
Dr Seema Das, AADTA’s DU EC Member, said, “The large-scale participation in the Hunger Strike shows the anger of the teaching community over the way the university administration has politicised the GB formation in these colleges and recruitment process in a narrow partisan manner.”
Notably, on January 27, 2023: the then Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Manish Sisodia wrote to VC stating Delhi Government policy for absorption of ad-hoc and temporary teachers. On January 28, 2023: Delhi Government sent the list of Delhi Government nominees for GBs to the University. On February 3, 2023: An EC meeting was held, but the list was not brought there for approval. When EC members Seema Das and RS Pawar demanded to place it, the VC in the Chair said that there was some technical problem. On February 15, 2023: The university administration arbitrarily sent 3 GB nominees to Bharati College violating DU’s Statute 30(1) and EC Resolution 51 (2012).
In a series of letters in January-February 2023, the Shri Manish Sisodia asserted that there was wilful delay in the formation of GBs and this was done to subvert the policy of Delhi Government for absorption with the cooperation of these GBs and revival of Temp Ord XIIIA.
The AADTA has stated that the university administration is making all efforts to evade accountability to the elected government and rushing to finish the task of massive displacements before they are forced to observe the law of the university and induct Delhi Government nominees. The AADTA’s resolve is to intensify the struggle for absorption and immediate GB formation.
