Review of Central govt employees emerges as flashpoint at DU's Executive Council meeting

Indian Express

23-05-2025

A nod to several key academic and administrative decisions, including the syllabi for semesters VII and VIII under the four-year undergraduate programme mandated by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, was among the highlights as the University of Delhi held its 1275th Executive Council (EC) meeting on Friday. However, the meeting, chaired by Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, also witnessed sharp criticism from several faculty members over the inclusion of an agenda item concerning the 'periodical review of Central government employees for strengthening the administration,' which some teachers described as a 'potentially punitive measure targeting job security in academia'.
Maya John, a member of the Academic Council, said, 'This Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) regarding the review represents a highly objectionable and unfortunate measure… It conflates university faculty with Central government employees, despite the Delhi High Court's judgment that such rules do not apply to centrally-funded Higher Education Institution faculty.'
John also opposed the EC-approved report on the determination of faculty seniority. 'Unfortunately, the report fixes an arbitrary cut-off date of April 2022, denying many new permanent teachers due recognition for past service,' she said, adding that the statutes used to calculate seniority do not reflect the University's post-reservation structure.
EC member Aman Kumar told PTI that Vice Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh has formed a nine-member committee to review the DoPT notification mandating periodic review of employees aged 50 or above and enabling compulsory retirement where applicable.
On the NEP's implementation, John reiterated longstanding concerns from faculty about the absence of increased funding or teaching positions. 'There is no commitment to quality academics when faculty shortages are ignored. The administration has refused to discuss these concerns in statutory bodies.'
Several faculty members also alleged political interference in the finalisation of syllabi. Rudrashish Chakraborty, elected member of the DUTA Executive, said the syllabi of flagship departments like Philosophy, History, Sociology, Psychology, and English had been 'mutilated.' 'There has been undue interference by university officials who are not experts in these disciplines,' he said. 'This has led to arbitrary, ideologically motivated insertions that undermine course quality and diminish parity with top global universities.'
But the university, in its release, maintained that curriculum reforms and new courses were passed 'after considering the recommendations made in the DU Academic Council meeting held on May 10'.
Registrar Dr Vikas Gupta addressed concerns about the four-year undergraduate framework under NEP 2020, reaffirming that students would benefit from multiple exit and re-entry points and receive formal credentials at each stage. According to the university's official press release on Friday, 'Every UG course in NEP 2020 is of 4 years, students have the option of multiple exit and multiple entry.' The release added that students who leave the course mid-way would now be entitled to a certificate or degree, which was not the case under earlier education policies.
Meanwhile, the university on Friday also announced that it would 'provide all possible cooperation and support to the Government of India on Operation Sindoor', which was launched this month amid tensions with Pakistan. In a separate development, DU approved a new B.Sc. (Nuclear Medicine Technology) course to be offered at the Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi Cantt., under the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and cleared the launch of postgraduate journalism programmes in both Hindi and English.
(With inputs from PTI)