The Delhi government may be yet to nominate members to governing bodies of some Delhi University colleges, but it seems like a few of these colleges are hurriedly recruiting teachers and principals.
The government has, in fact, received complaints from DU teachers saying the recruitment process is not transparent.
Raising an objection, the government has now asked nine DU colleges to stop recruitments until the nominated members take charge in the governing bodies.
Earlier in April, the State government had written to 28 DU colleges funded by it, asking them to stop all appointments until full-fledged governing bodies, which are yet to include government-nominated members, were constituted.
Out of the 15 governing body members for each college, five are nominated by the government. While the Delhi government extends full funding to 12 colleges, the remaining 16 get five per cent funding. But, notwithstanding the government’s directive, DU’s apex committee appointed principals to nine of the State government-funded colleges during a meeting held on July 1.
“Referring to the communication to all government-funded colleges... that no appointments shall be made by the governing body till members to them are nominated by the Delhi government as required by the DU ordinances, the department is in receipt of information that your college is carrying out recruitments of teachers/principals. It is once again reminded that no regular appointment should be made till the final formation of Governing Bodies,” said a circular issued by the Directorate of Higher Education, Delhi.
The nine colleges that have appointed principals include Aditi Mahavidyalaya, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, Laxmi Bai College, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College, Satyawati College, Motilal Nehru College and Kalindi College.
While members of DU’s apex committee have confirmed that the decision regarding the appointments was taken at a July 1 meeting, they added that no official notification has been issued in this regard.
DU authorities were, however, not available for comments on the violation of the government’s earlier communication.
The Delhi University Teachers’ Association, meanwhile, has alleged that the varsity deliberately approved these appointments.
“The government has a point in its objection. The governing bodies are lying truncated for quite some time because the varsity has not sent a list of nominees for approval to the government. Why can’t they be in place and then the appointments be made? Why violate the ordinance?” said DUTA president Nandita Narain.
