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HRD decides to amend rules on recruitment of teachers, says DU issue resolved
New Delhi
New Delhi
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has decided to redraw recruitment norms to the country’s universities to ensure eligible candidates who have been teaching there in ad-hoc positions should be shortlisted for interview.
The ministry also decided that Delhi University’s (DU) circular to its colleges on recruitment should have a clause that stipulates that colleges should fill up the permanent vacancies at the start of the session.
The decision was taken after the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) held a meeting with top HRD officials on Thursday. DU had been witnessing protests by teachers in the past few days.
“Delhi University issue resolved,” tweeted Higher Education secretary R Subrahmanyam after the decisions.
According to the record of discussions of a meeting between DU VC Y K Tyagi and senior UGC and HRD officials, it was decided that the regulations on minimum qualification on appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges should be amended.
It was also decided that a clause on direct appointment of assistant professors would be included and that faculty appointed on ad-hoc/temporary or contract basis meeting but eligibility criteria should be shortlisted for interview.
This will boost the chances of eligible candidates to make it to the interview shortlist, officials said.
The ministry sought to tackle the issue of several colleges not filling up vacancies for years.
A circular issued to the Delhi University to its affiliated colleges would include a clause that vacancies will be filled up at the start of the session. If vacancies have to be filled up during the session to maintain smooth functioning, ad-hoc or temporary teachers can be appointed.
The marking scheme in interviews has also been amended to suit the demands of the protesting teachers.
UGC will also consider communicating the addition teaching positions to be created as per the EWS scheme within 30 days. However, no person working in adhoc position shall be removed merely on the ground of failing in the EWS roster point, the HRD document said.
After the meeting with MHRD officials, DUTA president Rajib Ray said, “DUTA has been promised that the 28 August letter will be amended to allow provision of ad-hoc appointments against substantive posts. So, no ad-hoc teachers will lose job on the basis of it. We are waiting to see the hard copy of this new notice.”
The August 28 letter said that in case permanent appointments could not be made, guest appointments should be done for new vacancies this academic session instead of ad-hoc appointments—which has been the regular practice in DU for years now. This caused panic among ad-hoc teachers after their contracts expired in May and the varsity’s principals’ body kept renewal in abeyance till clarification from the DU administration.
