Assistant Professor recruitment: Ad-hoc teachers flag concern over DU guidelines

The ad-hoc teachers have flagged concern over guidelines issued by the Delhi University (DU) regarding the screening and shortlisting of candidates for the process of permanent appointment of teachers in the departments and colleges affiliated to the varsity.

The ad-hoc faculty members have claimed that the provisions in the guidelines are such that many teachers will not get a call for interview.

The university administration had recently issued the advertisement for the appointment of Assistant Professors in various departments and colleges; and now the scrutiny and screening of application forms, as mandated under the guidelines, are underway.

As per the guidelines, under the screening, only those candidates will be called for the interview whose API (academic performance indicators) score is 65 for General and OBC categories, and 60 for SC/ST category.

Now, as the API score of PhD holders "will be higher" as compared to those without PhD, many ad-hoc teachers who are working for years on the basis of MA, M.Com, LLM, M.Ed NET-JRF are concerned about the provision.

Forum of Academics for Social Justice, citing the Ministry of Education's recent statement that PhD is not mandatory in the appointments of teachers, has written to the DU Vice Chancellor and raised the issue. It has demanded that all the ad-hoc teachers who are associated with departments and colleges for years on the basis of post graduate degrees or NET-JRF as assistant professors be called for interview.

Forum Chairman Hansraj Suman says that he has been told by the ad-hoc teachers of many colleges that according to the guidelines sent by the university, 10 to 20 per cent of the ad-hoc teachers who have been teaching in the colleges for the past several years and do not have PhD, will be out of the system.

"They say that as per this guideline, without PhD, SC/ST, OBC and disabled candidates will not be called for interview; while the UGC has given exemption from PhD in the appointment of assistant professor. The forum has demanded that all the eligible candidates should be called for the interview," he adds.