Withdraw ‘Tripartite MoU’, Demands Delhi University Teachers

The protest march by hundreds of teachers and students against the ‘Tripartite MoU’ has shaken the authorities. The march began from the Mandi House moving towards the Parliament under the banner of DUTA. The Central Government’s Tripartite MoU was supposed to issue an Ordinance on the Reservation Roster. This Ordinance was supposed to fill up the permanent appointments for thousands of vacant teaching posts through various departments and colleges of Delhi University. The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) stated that there is opposition against Tripartite MoU from their side because it petitions the University and the colleges to bring about the funds through regular fee-hikes, increase in the enrollment rate. It asks them to mobilize the revenues from self-financed courses corporate sources and alumni.

“It also puts an end to UGC grants and forces the University to take infrastructure loans through HEFA. Additionally, it allows the MHRD to set absurd quantified targets for the qualitative assessment and learning outcomes of courses offered in the University,” said the statement.

According to DUTA, this ill-conceived move will certainly have drastic effects on the equity, access, and quality in higher education. It urged the government for the immediate withdrawal of Tripartite MoU and to find different suitable ways to strengthen the higher education system. DUTA says that it was a failure on the part of the Government as it could not honor its own promise to issue the ordinance on the Reservation Roster to enable the University to maintain the status quo in the appointments to the vacancies, while the issue is being reviewed in the Supreme Court. This failure has resulted in a freeze on the delinquent process of permanent recruitment. Although the Association has urged the Education Ministry; to launch the revised allowances for the teachers, the non-teaching staff and the revised pensions for all the retired employees as well. “Despite the notification of the 7th Pay Revision in November last year, the Government is still dragging its feet and delaying the payment of dues to teachers and other employees of universities and colleges. This neglect of higher education points towards the cynical indifference of the Union Government,” it said.