Release salaries of ad-hoc teachers, say EC members of Delhi University

A few members of the Delhi University's Executive Council (EC) and Finance Committee on Tuesday, June 28, wrote to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh and demanded that their wages be credited "without any further delay". They highlighted that ad-hoc teachers in several departments have not been paid their salaries for over two months, according to a report by the PTI.

Executive Council members Seema Das and Rajpal Singh Pawar and Finance Committee member JL Gupta also pointed out in the letter that ad-hoc teachers have been facing a delay in their extension as the department is repeatedly asked to explain their workload. “The ad-hoc teachers in the departments (mostly first-generation learners) have not been paid salaries for last two-and-half months. It is very difficult to survive in a metro city like Delhi without a salary. They have been appointed after due approvals are in place," they stated in the letter.

"We have come to know that there is a delay in their extension as the departments are repeatedly asked to explain the workloads," it added. Additionally, while emphasising the need for giving extension to the ad-hoc teachers, they said that the student-teacher ratio is "not conducive" for quality teaching-learning at PG level and quality research.

"The student-teacher ratio varies across the departments and is not conducive for quality teaching-learning at PG level and quality research. For instance, a department like Political Science with around 1,200 PG students is somehow managing with 12-13 permanent teachers," the letter stated. "These students are mixed groups in terms of Hindi and English medium. The teachers of specialised areas of their academic disciplines are essentially required at the department level," it added.