‘UGC should enforce no-work-no-pay notice’

Voicing concern regarding the frequent teachers’ strikes, DU Vice Chancellor, Deepak Pental, said that strikes will spell trouble for students as well as teachers.

Voicing concern regarding the frequent teachers’ strikes, DU Vice Chancellor, Deepak Pental, said that strikes will spell trouble for students as well as teachers.
“I will write to the UGC asking them to enforce the ‘no-work-no-salary’ notice. Teachers should not be paid for all the 17 days they have not taught. Those still following the annual mode should not be paid anything at all as they are teaching a course that is not recognised anymore,” Pental said.
The students have missed 18 days of classes so far. The semester-end examinations were also shifted from November to December to accommodate the classed missed.
“It is not the University's money which we get as salary, it is public money,” he said, adding, teachers should be accountable for their work.
Calling the teachers’ approach shameful, Pental said the desirability of the semester system is not debatable. “We have been teaching syllabi that is more than 20 years old. The work of an academician is also to introduce new ideas, which is not happening here,” he said.
The DU Teachers’ Association (DUTA) meanwhile launched another strike on Monday.
“The semester system cannot be implemented without debate. Teachers cannot be silenced through unsavoury threats. We are willing to engage in civilized argument and dialogue,” said Aditya Narayan Misra, president, DUTA.
Teachers in many colleges such as Kirori Mal College, Hindu College and Ramjas College are still teaching according to the annual system.
Pental also said that teachers had gone on strikes without giving requisite notice, making the strikes illegal. He had also written a letter to the UGC in September asking the body to look into the matter.
“If the semester system’s implementation is illegal why doesn’t DUTA move court? A solution to the problem should be worked out as the students are suffering,” Pental said.
The teachers’ strike is meanwhile expected to continue on Tuesday as well.

HT Image

Pental to vacate office this week
Indicating that the decision regarding the appointment of DU’s new Vice Chancellor was near, Deepak Pental, the current VC said he will vacate office by the week-end.
Pental said, “I am going to leave by the end of the week for sure.”
Human resource development ministry sources, however, confirmed that no name had been finalized to succeed Pental, though a decision is possible soon.
The three final candidates for the post are DU South Campus Director Dinesh Singh, Lady Shri Ram College Principal Meenakshi Gopinath, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Syed Hasnain and JNU professor BS Chimni.
Pental — under attack from the DU faculty over the introduction of a semester system — had indicated to the HRD ministry that he wanted to leave office once his term was over. He had even informed the HRD minister Kapil Sibal.