SRCC staff body protests DU order to appoint guest teachers to full-time posts

The staff association of the Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Friday held a protest against a recent circular issued by the varsity directing colleges to appoint guest teachers to fill up full-time vacancies.

SRCC teachers demonstrated outside the college gate before marching to the vice-chancellor's office to submit a memorandum.

In a circular dated August 28, the Delhi University's (DU) assistant registrar directed colleges to appoint guest teachers to fill up full-time vacancies arising in the current academic session.

Guest teachers are paid on per lecture basis and that too subject to a ceiling on payment or number of lectures in a week, the teachers said.

"This is unjust for young talent aspiring to become a teacher and shows a lack of concern for teaching-learning. It also is unmindful of the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as well as various institutional activities in which full-time teachers participate," they said.

The unwarranted circular has caused a dissimilar situation in different colleges depending on how the college authorities have interpreted it, they said.

The teachers claimed that in SRCC, as in many other colleges, uncertainty exists as to whether the existing teachers working on ad-hoc basis (full-time capacity for four months at a time) will be renewed in the same capacity when the term of their current appointment ends in a few days time.

This is cruel given the fact that most of them are working for over a decade and waiting for permanent recruitment, they alleged.

The SRCC Staff Association submitted a memorandum to the DU proctor as the vice chancellor was unable to meet the college representative.

The proctor assured that existing ad-hocs will not be replaced, the teachers said.

The teachers' and staff associations of Rajdhani College and Ramjas College, respectively, also extended support to the protest.