DU withdraws controversial circular on increasing workload of faculty members

Facing mounting criticism from faculty, Delhi University has retracted its controversial circular that sought to increase the workload for senior professors. The decision comes after widespread opposition from academic staff and teaching unions over social media.

In Short

• Delhi University withdraws circular increasing senior faculty workload
• Backlash erupts over proposed workload parity with junior faculty
• Fresh circular states DU will clarify the issue further in due course

Delhi University has withdrawn a circular regarding the workload of senior faculty members. This decision was made in response to the increasing workload on faculty members and following heavy criticism from teaching staff on social media.

The circular attempted to align the workload of junior faculty members with that of senior members. Issued on October 15, 2024, by the university administration, it directed principals and directors of DU colleges and various departments to assign senior faculty members and professors the same workload as lower-ranked positions and assistant professors.

According to University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, senior faculty members, such as professors and associate professors, are expected to complete 14 hours of work per week, whereas junior faculty members (assistant professors) are assigned a 16-hour weekly workload.

The recent circular suggested that senior faculty members take on an additional two hours of work, linking it to promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS).

CAS PROMOTIONS WON'T CHANGE TEACHING DUTIES

The circular stated that once a faculty member has been promoted through CAS, they should continue to manage the duties of an Assistant Professor, irrespective of their current title, such as Associate Professor or Professor. This policy, as outlined by the Deputy Registrar's office, emphasised that the promotion was an individual achievement and did not exempt them from standard teaching responsibilities.

The directive stated that faculty members, regardless of their promotions to Associate Professor or Professor, would continue to carry the workload typically assigned to an Assistant Professor. It emphasised that promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) were personal achievements and did not alter their fundamental teaching responsibilities.

This decision sparked a wave of criticism from faculty on social media, with many accusing the administration of attempting to increase the workload to accommodate the demands of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) without hiring additional staff.

"When the UGC regulations do not differentiate between associate professors through direct recruitment or promotion, then why is DU issuing this notification? This needs to be completely rejected, and DU must immediately roll back this notification," Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a DU professor and member of the Academic Council was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

A faculty member and secretary of the Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) criticised the recent university policy, arguing that instead of hiring more teaching staff, the university has increased the workload of existing faculty by extending their teaching hours. They viewed this as yet another unfair move by Delhi University, while the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) remained silent on critical policy matters.

According to the UGC Regulations of 2018 and earlier rules from 2010, senior faculty are required to teach for 14 hours, while junior faculty have a 16-hour teaching load, as also reflected in the DU Ordinance.

In response to growing criticism, the university retracted the directive and issued a new circular later the same day, confirming the withdrawal of the previous statement on faculty workload. It noted that any further clarification on the matter would be provided in due course.

(With inputs from PTI)