‘Prioritise appointment of temporary & contractual teachers’: Forum

NEW DELHI: Hansraj Suman, Chairman of the Forum of Academics for Social Justice, has addressed a letter to Prof Yogesh Singh, the V-C of Delhi University, urging the institution to prioritise the appointment of temporary and contractual teachers over guest lecturers in various departments and affiliated colleges of DU.

Suman highlighted the precarious nature of guest teacher appointments, which are terminated at the end of each semester without any preference given during permanent hiring processes.

In contrast, temporary and contractual teachers receive priority for permanent positions, and their entire service tenure is counted, eliminating the need for repeated interviews for permanent appointments.

The current reliance on guest faculties could disrupt 50 per cent of classes in the upcoming 2024-25 session, he mentioned. He revealed that 12 Delhi government-funded colleges require 1,512 teachers to meet new curriculum demands, with current staffing including 528 permanent and 296 ad-hoc teachers, supplemented by guest teachers.

Over 4,000 guest teachers serve at DU’s School of Open Learning, Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board, and various colleges. While Delhi government-funded colleges employ the most guest lecturers, SOL and the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board offer 25 teaching days per semester, with each day including two classes, paying Rs 1,500 per lecture as per UGC norms.

Despite their significant role, guest teachers lack voting rights in DU’s decision-making bodies.