DUTA to discuss moves to create institute of eminence and board of governors within DU

The Delhi University Teachers Association will on Tuesday hold an emergent meeting to discuss the varsity's twin move to create an "institute of eminence" within it and replace its various statutory bodies like Executive Council by an all-powerful Board of Governors.

The DUTA decided to deliberate upon the fallout of the twin proposals, expressing resentment against them.

The teachers expressed resentment against the proposal to create an "institute of eminence" within the varsity, saying the step will strip the university itself of its distinction and prove to be a sure recipe for its "denigration and disintegration".

The association also objected to the proposed move to replace various statutory bodies of the university like its Executive Council and Academic Council by an all- powerful Board of Governors to be created as per a Draft New Education Policy, whose implementation has been advanced by the varsity to October 2019 from 2020.

"At present the entire DU shares the status of eminence and its entire faculty and stakeholder have a role to play in it. This status will cease to exist for DU once a parallel structure within it will receive the entire limelight and government patronage," said the teachers.

Talking about the advancement of plans to implement the Draft New Education Policy from 2020 to October 2019 itself, they said, "This timeline seeks to do away with the statutory bodies like Executive Council, Academic Council, departmental councils and college staff council by the constitution of all powerful BOGs (Board of Governors)," they said.

These BOGs will be accountable neither to the Executive Council nor Academic Council and will come directly under Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, they said.

They will also do away with all elected component and instead will have nominated members from outside the university stakeholders with the provision of weeding out inconvenient element periodically, they alleged.

The DU is going to implement this BOG-ruled autonomous structure within the DU in the garb of eminence, where this institute would receive a grant of Rs 1000 Crore in ten years from the Centre directly and their matters will never undergo the critical scrutiny from the EC, AC or Finance Committee, they said.

The 'eminence' tag is being used to dismantle the university when the government money should have benefited the entire university and improved its infrastructure, they said.