DU Teachers Furious Over Surprise Campus Inspections, Warn of Autonomy Crisis

A fresh controversy has erupted at Delhi University (DU) after teachers and senior academic body members accused the South Campus director of carrying out “rambo-ish” surprise inspections at select colleges to check whether classes were being held. Calling the move an attack on institutional autonomy, they have demanded immediate intervention from Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh.

In a strongly worded memorandum submitted to the VC, members of the Executive Council (EC), Academic Council (AC), and the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) said these inspections violated statutory provisions and undermined the federal governance structure of DU colleges.

Surprise Visits on a Holiday Spark Outrage

Teachers informed that these surprise inspections were carried out on Makar Sankranti, a day off in Delhi without any working arrangements and a full public holiday in the neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh. Staff members noted that the very fact of such visits at this time was inappropriate and, furthermore, the procedure for the visits was highly questionable.

They pointed out the help of Ordinance XVIII and the existing Governing Body regulations, which make it very clear that it is primarily college principals, who through their faculties, organize teaching schedules and academic operations, and thus can be held responsible for them and not college, level administrators or university, level administrators.

“Such actions blur the lines of authority and disrupt the democratic functioning of colleges,” the memorandum stated.

‘System Already Under Strain,’ Say Teachers

The letter of protest also raises other issues that have been there for a long time and are deeply embedded in the DU college system. The teachers have pointed out that the introduction of the Four, Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, together with the widening of the EWS quota, has put a tremendous pressure on the institutions.

It is said that these colleges are facing faculty shortages, large student classrooms, and lack of basic facilities, yet the releases of funds and new recruitments have not been in line with these reforms.

At a moment when colleges are still figuring out a smooth running of timetables and the academic workflows, such inspections only bring about stress and demoralisation, the teachers added.

Demand for VCs Immediate Intervention

The signatories have appealed to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh to intervene to protect the autonomy of the colleges and make sure that any kind of monitoring is done in accordance with due process. They have pointed out that if the interference is allowed to continue, it could lower the morale of the teaching staff and hurt DU's established governance structure.

Who Signed the Letter?

The memorandum has been signed by several senior members of DU’s statutory bodies, including Rajpal Singh Pawar, JL Gupta, Bimalendu Theerthankar, Mamta Chaudhary, Ramkishore Yadav, Pawan Kumar, TN Ojha, Priyam Barooah, and Dhanraj Meena.