E-Paper
Delhi University teachers against competitive pay to foreign faculty
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
Delhi University teachers have raised objections over the varsity’s proposal to recruit foreign faculty on “competitive salaries” as mentioned in the Institute of Eminence (IOE) proposal.
Executive Council (EC) members raised the issue on Monday after they received a copy of the proposal last week.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development had awarded IoE status to DU in September last year which meant it would be eligible for a government grant of Rs 1,000 crore. Teachers had also objected to the proposal submitted by DU in the matter, saying it would encourage privatisation and contractualisation of employees.
The fresh set of objections comes in the backdrop of DU teachers protesting for over two months, demanding absorption of ad hoc teachers.
EC member Rajesh Jha said, “The administration says that IOE has been brought in to improve rankings of the varsity. Why not work on the lopsided existing teacher-student ratio to improve that? There is no mention on absorbing teachers who have been working for years or even that of promotions and appointments.”
“The proposal, if followed, will create an arbitrary pay structure, push for contractualisation, and create space for favouritism. Indian teachers are excelling in all fields and there is high unemployment in our country. In such a scenario, why would we want faculty members from other country when we have enough qualified teachers?”
Rajib Ray, president of Delhi University’s Teachers’ Association (DUTA), said, “The entire proposal was submitted without discussion and the approval of statutory bodies. It will change the existing structure and character of the university.”
Another EC member VS Negi said, “Instead of using the IOE grant for improving existing infrastructure, the committee recommended setting up new centres and getting foreign faculty for it. These faculty would work on contractual basis and be paid as per market demand. This does little for existing departments and faculty.”
Despite repeated attempts, head of the IOE committee did not comment on the matter.
