Delhi University EC meeting: 'Important issues' missing from agenda, say teachers

Stormy scenes were witnessed during the meeting of Delhi University's highest decision-making body- Executive Council - on Tuesday when several teachers entered the well of the house in protest against the agenda set by the administration. The council members claimed they were not consulted before drafting the agenda and hence several "important issues" were being missed.

Among the proposals tabled for approval before the EC members were several building projects with their estimated cost like Rs 3 crore for the renovation of old viceregal lodge's kitchen, that houses Vice-Chancellor's office, and creating a new statutory authority, namely Director North Campus. "Several pressing issues like absorption of adhoc teachers, self-finance courses and the e-procurement procedure for any work, did not get even a mention on the agenda list," said Rajesh Jha, an EC member and a professor at Rajdhani College. Jha was among the teachers who demanded these issues to be included in the agenda.

"It has become really difficult for colleges across the university to go ahead with any development work after the e-procurement procedure was introduced in 2016. We demand the implementation of simple General Financial Rules (GFR) as it was before," Jha added. In 2016, DU had made it mandatory for all colleges to follow e-procurement for any work with a budget of than Rs 15,000.

The council members also raised the issue of DU's School of Journalism. "The school of journalism is working with two contractual teachers for 128 students. How will they do justice to their jobs?" asked another member while raising the issue at the meeting, including Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi.

The members also questioned the rationale behind creating the new post of Director North Campus. "The university could not even fill all the sanctioned posts from long. They even failed to appoint a full-time pro Vice-Chancellor in the last two years," said AK Bhagi, another EC member and an assistant professor at Dyal Singh College.

Meanwhile, the long-pending appointments of 126 assistant professors in DU's law faculty were announced during the meeting. The meeting was on till the time this report was filed.