Ad-hoc woman teachers working in the University of Delhi (DU) face a hard time in getting maternal leaves and end up jeopardising their health. Many a times, they have even been victims to several medical complications arising post delivery.
The teachers at the DU revealed that to deal with the crisis, many of them end up quitting their jobs or face termination if the leave is extended. According to a source, recently three teachers from Kirori Mal College, two from Hansraj College and a few others had to resign because there maternity leave was not sanctioned.
‘I had a premature delivery with lots of complications, however, I had to join work seven days after I got discharged from the hospital. Due to my financial conditions , I did not have a choice to leave the job,’ said a professor of DU, seeking anonymity.
She further said that there were so many complications post delivery that both of them, (including the newborn) had to face severe medical problems.
‘When I joined work, I was so ill that I couldn’t even move my hand. I still take medicines for the complications that I developed during that phase’, she added.
While there is no possibility for a teacher to get maternity leaves, another option left for them is to leave the job for time being.
‘But it leaves them with a lot of uncertainty about whether they will ever get their job back,’ said another teacher who was hired on ad-hoc basis and had to quit.
She further said, ‘I have served the university for more than four years now. But I had to quit my job when I could not join back after my delivery. When I asked the principal to extend the maternity leave, he said if I wanted to have a child, I should have rather sat at home. I was unemployed for two years.’
The teachers at the DU revealed that to deal with the crisis, many of them end up quitting their jobs or face termination if the leave is extended. According to a source, recently three teachers from Kirori Mal College, two from Hansraj College and a few others had to resign because there maternity leave was not sanctioned.
‘I had a premature delivery with lots of complications, however, I had to join work seven days after I got discharged from the hospital. Due to my financial conditions , I did not have a choice to leave the job,’ said a professor of DU, seeking anonymity.
She further said that there were so many complications post delivery that both of them, (including the newborn) had to face severe medical problems.
‘When I joined work, I was so ill that I couldn’t even move my hand. I still take medicines for the complications that I developed during that phase’, she added.
While there is no possibility for a teacher to get maternity leaves, another option left for them is to leave the job for time being.
‘But it leaves them with a lot of uncertainty about whether they will ever get their job back,’ said another teacher who was hired on ad-hoc basis and had to quit.
She further said, ‘I have served the university for more than four years now. But I had to quit my job when I could not join back after my delivery. When I asked the principal to extend the maternity leave, he said if I wanted to have a child, I should have rather sat at home. I was unemployed for two years.’