DU teachers may be called for duties during summer break, up in arms over circular
New Delhi:
Delhi University
's latest notification allowing the administration to summon faculty members for official duties during the vacation period if required has triggered discontent among them.
According to the academic calendar, the summer break runs from June 1 to July 20 for most undergraduate programmes and from June 29 to July 20 for those teaching in the second semester. However, a circular issued on May 30 stated that "faculty members on summer vacations can be called for duty assignments, including admissions, examinations, evaluations and administrative work, and they shall have to abide by the same.
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The clause has sparked discontent among teachers, many of whom say it undermines the very idea of a vacation and erodes their entitlement to rest and research time.
"This notification reeks of the assumption that some of us aren't working just because our semester started late due to NTA delays. It's insulting," said Latika Gupta, assistant professor in DU's department of education. "We are constantly engaged — whether in teaching, guiding PhD scholars, or research.
Denying us an uninterrupted break while threatening us with administrative duties is deeply disrespectful to our academic roles.
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Pankaj Garg, chairman of Indian National Teachers' Congress, said he was planning to write to the vice-chancellor demanding compensatory earned leave for teachers. "If our services are now effectively non-vacational due to staggered calendars and CUET delays, then we must be compensated accordingly," he added.
The notification, issued with the approval of the competent authority, offers no mention of compensation or compensatory leave for those recalled.
There was no immediate response from the university over the concerns.
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