DU teachers protest against UGC push in 35 colleges for 'financial autonomy'

Earlier, the UGC had called a meeting with principals of 35 DU colleges to discuss the modalities through which financial autonomy can be granted to these colleges to enable them to start self-financed courses and hike student fee to generate their own resources for expansion.

In a statement, Delhi University Teacher Association (DUTA) said that this is a dubious model of autonomy and privatisation has nothing to do with academic freedom is borne out by the MHRD's and UGC's shameful unwillingness to discuss the proposal with teachers' bodies. Meanwhile, they also condemn that despite the high court order to fill the all the vacant position in the stipulated time frame. Teachers were vociferously demanding absorption of all the existing temporary and adhoc teachers.

DUTA president Rajib Ray said autonomy has resulted in a sharp decline in the academic quality in the erstwhile prestigious colleges like Ravenshaw (Cuttack) and Presidency (Kolkata) colleges.

There have been drastic rise in the cost of education, informalisation in faculty and staff appointments, adverse service conditions and pronounced commercialisation of courses and degree programmes.

He also added that there is a lack of transparency and accountability in the functioning of such colleges, leading to a mockery of the reservation policy, equity and access to higher education.

He alleged that the scheme is a sinister strategy, on the part of the Centre, to dismember the varsity and wash its hands off the responsibility to ensure that the 4,500 vacant teaching positions are filled and the second tranche of OBC expansion posts is released so that a healthy student-teacher ratio can be maintained.