Delhi University's Hindu College staff rejects administration's move to apply for autonomy

The Delhi University's Hindu College Staff Association unanimously rejected the administration's move to apply for autonomy from the University Grants Commission (UGC) during a recently held emergency meeting.

The autonomous body of staff members claimed that the administration did not consult with the stakeholders. "The Hindu College Staff Association notes with alarm that there had been no attempt to consult the staff and other stakeholders of the college, or otherwise involve them in any way, in taking this initiative towards autonomy. Consequently, the staff and students of the college remain completely in the dark about the implications of this initiative, and find the lack of transparency, completely inexplicable and objectionable," the association said in a statement.

Claiming that the administration held a meeting with the staff members last year and had assured the teaching staff members to inform, discuss and share all information with the staff before proceeding for any such move or development. However, they claimed that the administration did not stick to its claim. "The administration should have consulted us before the taking the decision. Therefore, the Hindu College Teaching Staff Association has unanimously rejected the said autonomy scheme unless the stakeholders are consulted," a staff association member said.

Hindu College had recently had approached the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry seeking answers to its autonomy-related queries. The move triggered students' protest on the campus. Principal Anju Shrivastava, however, said that everything will be communicated to the staff members before moving ahead. "Nothing official has happened as of now and when anything will happen, we will first discuss it with our staff members," she said.

The scheme offers academic and operative freedom to the colleges. It enables a college to design and structure its own courses of study and syllabi to suit local needs and to devise innovative methods of teaching, examination and evaluation. Any number of Colleges under a University, fulfilling a set criteria, can apply for autonomy UGC under this scheme.

Earlier on Friday, UGC held a workshop to clarify doubts regarding autonomy scheme and principals of around 20 DU colleges had attended it. The move created an uproar on the campus with officials terming it an attempt of 'privatisation' and 'commercialisation'.