No Fee Waiver For DU Asst Prof Applicants
New Delhi:
Delhi University
has withdrawn the application fee waiver for SC, ST, disabled and female candidates applying for the post of assistant professor — a move that marks a policy shift and has drawn sharp criticism of sections of the academic community.
The university has also increased the application fee across categories, with aspirants in the unreserved (UR) category now required to pay Rs 2,000, a fourfold jump from the earlier Rs 500. The fee for OBC and EWS applicants has tripled from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 while SC/ST candidates, who previously paid nothing, will now be charged Rs 1,000. Persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) will be required to pay Rs 500.
Teachers have termed the fee hike "unjustified" and called on Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) and the Academic and Executive Council members to intervene and push for a rollback.
The recruitment circular issued by Daulat Ram College dated June 10 inviting applications for the post of assistant professor listed the revised application fees and said submissions without the requisite fee would be rejected. "Fees once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances," the circular also said.
While DU departments advertise their own faculty vacancies centrally, individual colleges are allowed to issue advertisements separately, though they are governed by university rules.
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"We have followed the same format as the university. Nothing special in it," Daulat Ram College principal Savita Roy told TOI. When contacted, DU registrar Vikas Gupta denied that the university had withdrawn any fee waiver. However, he did not respond to a follow-up question on the circular issued by Daulat Ram College which mentions the revised fees.
A recruitment advertisement issued by DU as recently as Feb and accessible on its website confirmed the fee waiver policy for the select categories: "Rs 500 for UR/OBC/EWS categories.
No application fee will be charged from applicants of SC, ST, PwBD categories and women applicants. Fees once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances."
The move has drawn flak from several faculty members. A teacher posted on DUTA's social media handle, "Earlier the fee was Rs 500 for UR and OBC categories, and zero for SC, ST and female candidates. DUTA, AC/EC members and the university administration must take note of this and ensure the hike is rolled back.
There should be more than just symbolic letters — actual performance and pressure are needed from DUTA. Several unresolved issues like past service count and PhD increments are still pending.
Now another issue has been added to the list. Is it fair to burden applicants like this?."
Mithuraaj Dhusiya, member, DU Executive Council, linked the hike to the university's financial liabilities under the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
"Ever since DU was pushed into debt through HEFA loans, we have seen a pattern of fee hikes — from admissions to exams," she wrote. "No grants, only loans — that's become the mantra of both the Central Government and DU administration. The latest hike in assistant professor application fees is part of this debt trap.
Forced financial crises always begin with the most vulnerable. We strongly condemn this."
Megh Raj, general secretary, Indian National Teachers' Congress, similarly criticised the hike. "This 400% fee hike affects not just ad hoc teachers but all unemployed applicants. Earlier, candidates above a certain API score were called for interviews. Now only 40 are called for the first post and 10 or 20 for the rest, forcing candidates to reapply. The higher fee will make it unaffordable for many. We urge the administration to withdraw this decision immediately.
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