'Give us our right to association'

Teachers woes

Amidst a host of controversial reforms being introduced in higher education in Delhi – semester system, Meta University, four year graduation and Biometric attendance system for teachers – a new storm seems to be brewing in Delhi’s varsities.

The DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh declared the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) as “an illegal association made up by teachers.” At the Delhi government owned Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University too, the VC has refused to recognize the newly formed teachers’ association.

Expectedly, teachers at the two varsities are most upset at their voices being stifled and the democratic right to form associations being denied.

Member, DUTA and professor of Economics at SRCC, Sanjay Bohidar informs us, “DUTA is as old as the university itself. It was functioning from the very beginning – 1920s but became a formal organization in 60s only. Eminent persons like Amartya Sen, economist KN Raj, Delhi education minister Kiran Walia and almost all VCs of DU, including Dinesh Singh himself, have been either members or office-bearers in this organisation. How does the VC call it illegal now?”

“All these years, DUTA has tried to improve the teaching-learning process through continuous evaluation of the academic structure, policies, governance and accountability of DU administration and teachers, examination reforms etc. We feel sad that our decades of contributions are being negated now.”

Physics professor at Miranda House, Abha Dev Habib adds, “DUTA is an elected body of more than 10,000 teachers. It represents the collective will of Delhi University’s teachers and cannot be ignored. In the past, we have shared a harmonious relationship with the vice chancellors. Only since late last year, the VC started acting in an authoritarian manner and excluding us from discussions.”

“The reason is this recent spate of reforms forced on DU administration by the government. When we ask the VC where is the infrastructure for semesterisation, the framework for a Meta University or course structure for four-year graduation, there is no answer. That is when DUTA becomes illegal.”

Unlike the centrally controlled DU, Delhi government’s IP University is facing the same problem. A member of its newly formed teachers’ union says, “This varsity has been affiliating private colleges, owned by builders, politicians etc., at an alarming rate. In the past three and a half years alone, IP has brought 40 private colleges into its fold, besides starting evening classes in 40 others. This means 80 new colleges in and no new faculty.”

“As a result, my colleagues and I have been teaching for up to 25 hours a week, including evening classes, weekend classes, holiday classes etc.. If a teacher is delivering lectures all the time, when does he ch­e­ck assignments, prepare next day’s classes, do his rese­a­­rch etc.? We are being redu­c­ed to machines. Are teachers supposed to be treated like this?”

Though DU VC Dinesh Singh couldn’t be reached for a comment, a member of its Executive Council said, “We have been saying in the meetings that you (VC) may not agree with the teachers but you cannot stop speaking to them. If the dialogue process is stopped, it will put a question mark on the efficacy of the decision-making process in the varsity – definitely not a good thing for the already declining reputation of DU.”