With the long-standing scarcity of teachers across colleges of the Delhi University, students are now beginning to lag behind in their courses as teachers are overburdened with work and are working almost double their sanctioned workload. As colleges have repeatedly raised the issue of no recruitment of teachers ever since the OBC expansion plan has been implemented, sources said that the Pro Vice Chancellor (PVC) held a meeting of all principals where the workload was discussed. Yet, there hasn’t been any solution so far as colleges don’t have the grants to hire more teachers.
In 2007, the Other Backward Classes (OBC) expansion plan was implemented in DU where the strength of students in each college was increased by 27 per cent. However, with the increased strength, the much-needed teachers were not provided. Though colleges across the university were supposed to hire teachers, many didn’t hire. The problem, taken up then, is a perennial issue in the university. The issue has been discussed over and over again but all in vain as the discussion comes to a halt when the issue of making the already hired teachers permanent is brought up.
Sources in the university said, “Representative of all colleges across the university had a meeting in the third week of September with the PVC over the increased workload of teachers. The standing issue is that there is an urgent need of more teachers as the quality of education is suffering. However, before the issue of hiring more teachers is discussed, it was said that that the existing teachers should first be made permanent and then hired. The demand is that first all vacancies under the OBC expansion plan should be filled and then the procedure of making teachers permanent should begin. However, the issue seems to always reach a dead end.” According to sources in various colleges, the vacancies vary from 60 to 90 teachers and in some cases even over 90. This is because most teachers are working on courses, which they weren’t even hired for.
Officials from DU were unreachable for comment, but sources have said that since the meeting with the PVC took place only recently, it was likely that at least some kind of a backup plan would be made by the university so that students don’t suffer. “Right now what is happening is that students are lagging behind in their courses and the quality of education is also not too great. This matter will probably be addressed first,” said sources.