The Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA) yesterday, August 24, to mark one week of their continued protests against the university administration, decided to strengthen the spirit of their protest by organising a silent march across the Kashmere Gate campus.
The Faculty Association of the Ambedkar University in Delhi has been protesting since August 17, with the submission of a charter of demands that was upheld by 110 out of 136 regular faculties, according to a statement released by AUDFA.
What are their demands?
The charter submitted by the association seeks not only their realisation of the demands but also highlights the issues that are ravaging the university's true essence. The issues that were brought forth were :
1) Worsening work environment
2) Targetted harassment
3) Lack of transparency and dialogue
4) Stagnating careers
5) Dilapidated infrastructure
The protests have also been centred around the university's bureaucratic stagnation that is causing immense delay and non-functioning of the university, along with the lack of functional autonomy in schools and centres. They are also demonstrating against the administration's apathy towards the demand for facilitative and inclusive governance.
The association is also opposed to the regressive interpretation of UGC rules for faculty promotions, the absence of clarity on service rules and bizarre application of rules concerning medical benefits for the teaching community.
The AUDFA also strongly opposes the recently issued 38-day contracts to non-teaching staff serving in the university for more than a decade now, deeming the university's action as unconstitutional and lacking sympathy.
The university administration so far has refused to engage with the teachers of their own institution for talks to arrive at an agreement.
The release states that the protests would continue without disrupting the activities on the campus, and they plan to escalate the struggle if the university pays no heed to their demands for a progressive and democratic space of a public university and in the spirit of Dr BR Ambedkar’s vision.
