DU forms panel to look into notice on early retirement of employees, triggers row
Delhi University (DU) on Friday formed a committee to look into the implementation of a government notification which stipulates periodic reviews for university employees to assess whether they should be 'retained or retired prematurely'.
The decision has triggered protests by teachers and Executive Council members who stated that it would lead to a 'witch-hunt', 'undermine experience', and 'replace employees with contractual workers'.
The August 2020 notification by the Centre's Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions was on the agenda of the university's EC meeting on Friday. The notification stipulates that 'the government may, at any time, after a government servant has attained the age of 50/55 years or completed 30 years of service, as the case maybe, retire him prematurely in public interest'.
'Not applicable to DU'
Mithuraaj Dhusia, one of the EC members who dissented, said that such a provision was not needed since the university is established by an Act of Parliament and it has the autonomy to decide on the professional ethics of its employees. He argued that in 2018, the government had said that the provision was not applicable for universities that had their own rules in place. 'This notification is an unmitigated disaster as it will lead to witch-hunt of employees who do not buckle under pressure from the authorities,' he added.
DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said, 'We were looking into it [provisions of the notice] as they were government instructions forwarded by the Ministry. A committee has been formed to review its implementation.'
Rudrashish Chakraborty, an elected member of the Delhi University Teachers Association, criticised the move, and said, 'The university administration intends to replace permanent employees with contractual employees: to reduce recurring cost on salaries and benefits given to the former.'
Maya John, one or the protesting teachers said that they already fill out Annual Performance Assessment Reviews, and there was no need for such a provision.
During the zero hour, members also called for a review of the admission procedure, stating that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), which often gets postponed, leads to delays in the admission process, thereby setting the academic calendar behind year after year. Members added that in previous years, the delay has led to seats remaining vacant.
During the meeting, the EC also passed a resolution to teach MA Journalism in the Hindi and English departments of DU. A two-year postgraduate Hindu Journalism will be taught in the South Campus.
The university said in a statement, 'The DU EC has passed the rules for seniority of teachers (Assistant Professors/Lecturers) in the colleges of DU and departments of the concerned colleges/institutions. Under this, if all the relative qualifications are equal, then the seniority of teachers for all purposes can be determined on the basis of age/date of birth.'
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