DU issues workload directive citing CAS promotions, withdraws it same day amid faculty protests

Delhi University (DU) recently faced significant backlash after issuing and swiftly retracting a circular that directed college principals and directors to assign senior faculty members, professors and associate professors the same workload as junior faculty, such as assistant professors . The controversial circular was issued by the deputy registrar and was pulled within hours following criticism from the teaching staff.

The original order mandated that professors and associate professors assume the same teaching workload as assistant professors, despite their higher ranks. The order, issued earlier in the day, stated that faculty members would carry out the workload of an assistant professor "regardless of promotions," with promotions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) applying only to individual faculty members rather than their duties.

The proposal aimed to increase the workload of senior faculty by two additional teaching hours per week, aligning them with the 16-hour requirement of assistant professors. Under the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, professors and associate professors are typically required to teach 14 hours per week. The circular cited CAS promotions as a rationale for this adjustment, arguing that administrative duties, such as serving as a Dean or Head of Department, could justify the added hours.

The faculty members expressed outrage over the proposed changes, with many accusing the university of increasing the workload of senior faculty to offset the demands of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) rather than hiring additional staff. Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a member of DU's Academic Council , questioned why the university was issuing this directive when UGC regulations do not differentiate between professors promoted through CAS and those directly recruited. Dhusiya and others demanded an immediate withdrawal of the circular.

Additionally, the DU teachers criticized the university for attempting to alter workloads without first addressing this matter in the Academic Council meeting, which had taken place just days prior. In response to the backlash, faculty members voiced their discontent on social media, asserting that the UGC guidelines from 2010 and 2018 do not impose such distinctions between directly recruited professors and those promoted through CAS.

By the evening, DU issued a second circular retracting the original directive. The university also stated that further clarifications on the matter would be provided if necessary. However, the incident has left faculty members demanding that the university reconsider how it handles teaching workloads and faculty promotions.

Notably, earlier in June 2022, the Assistant Registrar (Teaching) instructed departments to ensure that any requests for ad hoc or guest faculty appointments be justified by the timetable and the teaching workload of permanent faculty. This directive was issued in response to allegations that some permanent faculty members were assigning their classes to ad hoc or guest faculty.

What do the UGC guidelines stipulate regarding working hours for professors and assistant professors?

According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations issued in 2009, all university teachers, including professors and assistant professors, are required to work a minimum of 40 hours per week across 30 working weeks, amounting to 180 teaching days per academic year. Additionally, faculty members must be present on campus for at least five hours each day. These guidelines were established under the UGC's "Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education."

To encourage research activities, the UGC mandates that professors dedicate at least six hours per week to research. For those involved in administrative or extension work, a relaxation of two hours in their teaching workload is allowed. These regulations aim to ensure consistent academic engagement while balancing teaching and research responsibilities.