DUTA Newsletter October-November 2011 The newly elected DUTA Executive, after electing its office-bearers and co-opting additional members as per constitutional provisions, came together for a meeting on November 9, 2011. In a well-attended meeting of the teachers’ representatives, the DUTA took serious note of the deliberate attack on the dignity of teachers and the unending instances of irregularities and misgovernance afflicting the University and its constituent/ affiliated colleges. The DUTA underlined the need to fight against the growing authoritarianism of the University officials. The University authorities have systematically and | of the corporate elite. The Government's intentions continuously eroded the Statutory Councils to get | of commercialising higher education are amply clear the changes required by the MHRD and UGC | from the Bills pending before the Parliament. implemented. Their excesses have been backed by | In order to fight this assault on Higher Education the government, which has and teachers’ dignity, today it been consistently pursuing an | The DUTA Executive has constituted | is necessary to re-energize and anti-teacher line under the | a sub-committee to formulate a | re-build the local units - the garb of ‘reforms’ and new | comprehensive Charter of Demands. | Staff Associations - and the policy initiatives in Higher | The prepared draft will be sentto | DUTA stands committed to Education. The reforms range | Staff Associations and Department | work towards this end. from re-structuring and | Councils for feedback and willbe | In order to prepare a homogenizing the teaching- finalized in consultation with comprehensive Charter of learning processes in all | teachers. The Charter of Demands | Demands reflecting the universities so as to pave the | will be adopted in a DUTA GBM to be | concerns of the teachers and way for Public-Private Part- held in January. the University at large, a nership and FOI in Higher subcommittee has been Education. The thrust of these reforms lies in | formed. Meanwhile, the DUTA Executive decided redefining the scope for growth and expansion in | to immediately initiate concrete action on several Higher Education in consonance with the interests | issues including those listed below. Pending Anomalies under the Sixth Pay Commission and UGC Regulations 2010 The pending anomalies under the Sixth Pay Commission and UGC Regulations 2010 will soon be discussed in meetings with the UGC Chairman. These anomalies include the absence of a minimum starting pay for Assistant Professors who are promoted to the senior scale with an AGP of Rs. 7,000 in PB-3; dual emoluments for Professors who are promoted through Career Advancement Schemes and those who are directly recruited in open posts; the anomalous instances of senior teachers drawing less pay than juniors in the same grade and with identical qualifications requiring immediate stepping-up; the quota imposed on Professorships in colleges and hierarchy within the rank of Professors; the absence of an addi nalincrement for promotion from a lower to a higher AGP within the same Pay Band; the absence of a jum starting pay for Librarians promoted to the AGP of Rs. 8,000 in PB-3; the absence of proper pay mi fixation for teachers who have been on leave on 01.01.2006 (the date on which the pay revision came into effect) and the absence of an additional increment for teachers who have stagnated for a year or more, as on 01.01.2006. In the DUTA Executive meeting of November 9, 2011, the need to take up the issue of absence of the clause that allows for the counting of total years of service for determining seniority, eligibility for ing pay from the final draft of the Pay Revision Notification was reiterated. No to Points-Based Appraisal System (PBAS) for Increments and Promotions The UGC Regulations 2010 insist on PBAS as the system through which Career Advancement of teachers should be monitored. itis a clear design to deny promotions. The irrational quantification of the academic and institutional work is bound to work against the basic principles of education and growth of the collective. It is inherently a discriminatory system as some disciplines will provide more opportunities to collect the required scores than others. The PBAS will lead to differential pay scales. The DUTA will pursue the demand for the withdrawal of the PBAS. Conversion from CPF to GPF Hundreds of teachers have been languishing under the hanging sword of CPF/GPF conversion. The issue has been exercising DUTA for quite a long time and the University has been pursuing an inconsistent policy in the matter resulting imisation of teachers. Many of these teachers have retired while their pensions have not been fixed and many others are due to retire soon. The DUTA is unwarranted harassment and moving to take up the matter with the University, UGC and MHRD to expeditiously resolve this sensitive question of CPF/GPF conversion once and for all. New Pension Scheme Those teachers who have been appointed under the NPS have no assured pension. DUTA, therefore, seeks to join all other unions in their struggles to get the PFRDA Bill withdrawn and consequently bring back assured pension for employees who have joined after 01.01.2004. The DUTA takes se 1us note of the dubious role played by the Delhi Government in regard to employer's contribution towards NPS in Delhi Government maintained colleges. Writ Petition against the Semester System in the High Court The issue of the semester system is before the High Court in the form of two writ petitions, one filed by the DUTA and another by 9 teachers, and an intervention in support of these petitions filed by seven students. These are being argued by V. K. Rao, Colin Gonzalves and Prashant Bhushan respectively. The writ petition filed by the DUTA in relation to the introduction of semester at UG level seeks quashing of decisions taken by the VC / other statutory bodies in violation of the Act, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations as well as established practices and without due application of mind. Following the appointment of Hon'ble Mr. Justice Deepak Misra to the Supreme Court, the matter is now being heard bya Division Bench consisting of Hon’ble Mr. Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Hon‘ble Ms. Justice Veena Birbal. Hearings, on continuous basis, have already taken place on 15 November, 17 November 2011 and 18 November 2011. The need for due debate and deliberation for academic decision-making cannot be overemphasized. The DUTA is committed to defending the culture, the structures and practices that ensure wider consultation and engagement while taking academic decisions. Mischievous Delay in Appointments There seems to be an unofficial and mischievous ban on fresh appointments while more than three thousand teaching positions remain vacant. The Vice Chancellor has constituted a four-member committee to look into the selection procedure for fresh appointments. In the name of yet another ‘reform’, the authorities cannot be allowed to delay the process of appointments. This callous attitude of authorities towards both students and teachers is unacceptable. The DUTA will intensify its pressure on the University to start appointments. the Universit Sluggish Response to Promotions The matter of promotions is also marred by undue delay and very slow progress. Periodically lists of teachers due for promotions are sent to the University but it is slow to respond and act on them. Selection Committees meet infrequently and lists of subject-experts are not sent on time. As a result, most promotions are on hold in colleges and University departments. The DUTA has taken critical note of this callousness and demands that the University authorities get their act together. Governing Bodies Not Being Constituted in Colleges There has been an inordinate delay in constituting Governing Bodies of many colleges. The colleges are instead continuing with truncated bodies which have limited powers. The Principals of these colleges continue to arrogate all powers to themselves and the pressing issues of teachers are either partially addressed or not addressed at all. This problem has specially afflicted those colleges that are aided by the Delhi Government. The University needs to take up the issue with Delhi Government on an urgent basis. The DUTA is alarmed by this development and will take up this matter with the University authorities. Faulty Implementation of Reservation Policy in Appointments It has been brought to the notice of the DUTA that appointment rosters for Reserved Categories (SCs, STS, PH and OBCs) are not being publicly displayed by colleges and University departments. The DUTA holds the University responsible for this lapse as it is primarily responsible for monitoring the implementation of the reservation policy. The DUTA urges every college and department to make information on rosters available to the public by displaying them prominently on their websites, and to follow a transparent procedure in appointing staff in these categories. The DUTA also takes serious note of the fact that inspite of repeated reminders from the UGC asking the University to fulfill the requirement of reservation in statutory bodies and in all other units and the warnings from the Court in the case of student admissions, the University has failed on both the counts.