The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Teachers protest SOPS by Daulat Ram, DU; varsity free to choose appointment criteria, says UGC
TWO NOTIFICATIONS — one issued by Daulat Ram College, and the other by delhi university( du) —has triggered discontent among several teachers who claimed that they go against UGC guidelines.
While one notification asked faculty appointed as Assistant Professors at Daulat Ram to undergo rigorous training in computer-aided teaching within six months, and submit its proof, the other, issued by du, requires aspirants to the same post to make a presentation of their body of work to the interviewers in the first round following which they will be permitted to sit for the interview round conducted by the final selection committee.
The UGC chairman, meanwhile, said being autonomous bodies, universities were free to choose qualifications and other processes over and above the minimum standards provided in the UGC regulations with the approval of their statutory bodies.
In a notification last week, Daulat Ram College said, “All the faculty appointed as Assistant Professor at Pay level-10 have been directed… to undergo rigorous training in teaching pedagogy/ computer-aided teaching methodology including digital technology useful for classroom teaching… The proof...must be submitted to the principal office for their cases to be considered for confirmation.”
In an email to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh on June 15, teacher members of the Academic Council, Executive members, along with Delhi University Teachers' Association members wrote: “Directly linking teacher training programmes and confirmation is a clear cut violation of University Ordinance.”
College Principal Savita Roy told the indian express :“It( the notification) is self-explanatory. It was decided by the Governing Body. My teachers are already meeting this criterion; so why the hue and cry?”
Official sat the du administration stated that this was not a university-wide directive. Said an official :“If a policy is being implemented, it should be done so in consultation with the universityadministration, and it must be the same for all colleges.”
Earlier, DU, on June 3, issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for recruitment of Assistant Professors, the process for which now includes a separate round for “Assessment through Presentation Assessment Committee”.
Speaking to the indian express, DU South Campus Director Shri Prakash Singh said, “This procedure was already in place for recruitment in departments. Now, this is being implemented in appointments across colleges too. This was passed by the Executive Council in December last year. This has been put in place to ensure transparency so that candidates get more time to present their case for a fair appointment. it is not a violation of the UGC.”
According to M Jagadesh Kumar, chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC): “If candidates are required to make presentations, it provides an opportunity for them to demonstrate their abilities in ways that written applications or traditional interviews cannot capture. It will help the committee identify candidates with teaching proficiency, depth of subject matter knowledge, and alignment with the objectives of the teaching post.”
However, a section of teachers disagrees with this. A statement issued by Dr Maya John, Elected Member, Academic Council, DU, on June 11 said, “The new SOP does not restore any transparency to the hiring process...as there is neither any mention of reducing the full weightage assigned to the interview, nor the assigning of higher weightage to more objective parameters like academic record, teaching experience, and research work during the interview stage.”
Abha Dev Habib, Associate Professor at Miranda House College, said the SOP was unacceptable. “The SOP is against the interests of serving teachers as it reduces the number of candidates who can appear before the Selection Committees. Appointments in many colleges are pending and many colleagues who were displaced are waiting to join back,” she added.