DU teachers stage kitaab rally protesting new UGC norms

Delhi University teachers, who have been boycotting the evaluation of undergraduate examinations for a month in protest against new UGC norms to ascertain their academic performance, today took out a 'kitaab rally' to the commission's office and left their books there.
"This was a symbolic protest against the alienation of teachers and the destruction of higher education as a result of the policies of the UGC and MHRD.
"Teachers have been demanding the complete roll-back of the PBAS/API (a quantified and bureaucratic method of teachers' assessment) that has resulted in denial of any promotions for the last eight years," a Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) statement said.

The teachers, who tried to march to the UGC office from Feroze Shah Kotla road, were prevented by the police. They turned around and headed towards the ITO crossing where they formed a human chain and left their books and publications.
The teachers have been boycotting evaluation of UG examinations since May 24 in protest against amendments to UGC regulations that, they argue, will lead to job-cuts to the tune of 50 per cent and drastically decrease pupil-teacher ratio in higher education.
The new gazette notification has increased the workload for assistant professors from 16 hours of "direct teaching" per week (including tutorials) to 18 hours, plus another six of tutorials, bringing the total up to 24 hours. Similarly the work hours of associate professors have been increased from 14 to 22.

Terming it to be an "unethical" mode of protest, students had urged the teachers to end the boycott fearing delay in results following which the faculty members had decided to end the boycott for final year students.
"Denial of promotions has effectively destroyed the parity between teachers and all-India services where time-bound promotion is given," the statement said.
DUTA has called for its Executive meeting on June 25 to decide future course of action.