Delhi University needs to ‘change culture’, end reliance on guest teachers: VC

Singh said the university should move away from its dependence on temporary faculty. “We want to change the culture of DU. Permanent appointments should be made instead of temporary ones,” he said during the zero hour.

Delhi University (DU) must “change its culture” regarding guest and ad-hoc teachers, vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh said on Friday during the academic council (AC) meeting, stressing the need for permanent appointments.

Delhi University. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Singh said the university should move away from its dependence on temporary faculty. “We want to change the culture of DU. Permanent appointments should be made instead of temporary ones,” he said during the zero hour.

“Academic appointments should be made twice a year,” Singh said, addressing the long-standing concern of professors regarding increasing reliance on guest teachers.

According to an official statement, Singh also urged colleges to appoint sports coaches and advised institutions facing infrastructure shortages to approach the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). “There may be problems if this scheme is discontinued. Colleges should take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

A DU official said the Northern Railway Central Hospital will start nine postgraduate (PG) medical courses at the Indian Railways Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (IRPGIMSR), subject to approval from the National Medical Commission. Singh noted that the courses – including anaesthesia, general medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and paediatrics – had been cleared by the university.

The AC also approved amendments to PhD coursework guidelines, effective from the 2025–26 academic year. The revised framework standardises requirements across departments, mandating 12–16 credits and adding compulsory modules such as research methodology, research publication ethics and research tools.

New guidelines were notified for granting financial assistance to DU delegates presenting papers at top-ranked Indian institutions, with a mechanism to assess the standing of non-academic organisers.

Several AC members, however, expressed concern over some of the resolutions, including the permanent appointments.

“Considering the number of guest faculty appointments already done in several colleges, how will the backlog be cleared? Will the guest teachers be considered for the permanent appointments, which has been a log standing issue already,” asked Rajesh Jha, DU professor and former executive council member.

Meanwhile, AC member Monami Sinha raised the issue of assault on Sujit Kumar at Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, terming the two-month suspension of a student leader “inadequate”.

Many dissent notes were also submitted on syllabi framing processes, fourth-year UG guidelines under Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF), and the issuance of key notifications through emergency powers without adequate deliberation in statutory bodies.