'How is it Fair?' Ask 5 Ad-Hoc Professors Sacked From DU's IP College Overnight

"It is humiliating that after years of teaching, you are sidelined for reasons unknown to you," a professor said.

On 29 September, life changed for five ad-hoc faculty of the Sociology Department of the Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) after their names did not find a mention in the list of the eight newly recruited assistant professors for the department.

"Not one or two, but the entire department consisting of five ad-hoc teachers has been displaced overnight. How is that fair?" an ad-hoc professor who has been with the department for over three years told The Quint, requesting anonymity.

The decision comes after the IPCW advertised for vacancies for the recruitment of assistant professors across various departments in May 2023. The 600 shortlisted candidates were interviewed last week, out of which eight were chosen.

Speaking to The Quint, the ad-hoc teachers alleged that the ongoing appointment process has been favouring “recommendations” and “networking” over merit and experience.

Principal of IPCW College Poonam Kumria, however, denied the allegations and told The Quint that the recruitment was done based on "a comprehensive, transparent process by a panel of experts."

'Displacement Of Entire Department a Rarity' 

The IPCW's Sociology Department started in 2017 and has been run by five ad-hoc teachers since.

According to Delhi University’s Executive Council’s Resolution No. 120 (8), dated 27 December 2007:

“In case there is a sudden, unexpected, and short vacancy arising out of a sudden sickness or death, on medical grounds (including maternity leave), abrupt leave, or any other situation that may disrupt the normal process of teaching and learning, an ad-hoc appointment may be made”.

The resolution notes that the appointment should be a minimum of one month to a maximum of four months’ duration.

As of May 2023, there were around 4,500 ad-hoc teachers working in DU colleges, several reports stated. But the delays in permanent recruitment processes turned this four-month tenure into years of unacknowledged work – sometimes stretching up to more than a decade, some teachers alleged.

“Since it’s a new department, we gave our blood, sweat, and tears to this job despite knowing that we are ad-hoc professors. In the last six years, our department has produced around 10 university position holders and several achievements by students which are in the public domain," a ad-hoc professor said.

Another sociology professor told The Quint that while "some displacement" was expected, she didn't think the entire department would be replaced.

"The displacement of teachers within DU colleges is not rare. We all saw this coming. We thought only one or two of us would be displaced. But the displacement of the entire department without retaining even a single professor is rare and disheartening," she said.

A third ad-hoc professor, also requesting anonymity, told The Quint that it was unfair for the teachers to be in the position that they were in.

"It is humiliating that after having years of teaching experience, you are sidelined all of a sudden for reasons unknown to you," they said.

'Recruitment Not Done Based On Merit'

The displaced teachers are also 'vexed' by people with alleged lower academic qualifications and lesser experience replacing them. They told The Quint that the recruitment was not done based on merit but based on "recommendations" and "networking".

"Three out of five of us have PhDs in Sociology and one holds a PhD is Sociology of Education and are extremely qualified for the position that we are in. All the eight recruits, though, have sub-par qualifications. One professor does not even have a degree in sociology. Another just completed her MA in sociology last year. How have they been selected over us? Isn't this unfair?" asked a sociology professor at IPCW.

Another teacher The Quint spoke to claimed that the five teachers missed out on the opportunity to secure a place in the department as they did not have the "connections” and "network" that the new recruits did.

"While one recruit has close connections with the principal, the other openly supports the right-wing Hindutva ideology. It is clear on what basis the recruitment was done," she claimed.

"Even though some candidates aren't as qualified or experienced as us, they have been offered permanent position. This state of affairs is pathetic and over time, will reflect on the quality of education in DU," another teacher said.

IPCW's Response To Allegations By Ad-hoc Teachers

In her response via email, IPCW Principal Poonam Kumri told The Quint, "I have not received any queries or complaints from the teachers, and the same about new recruitments. The ad-hoc teachers working in the Sociology Department were there for one to four years and appeared in the open interview well aware of the fact that the interview process will lead to permanent selection out of hundreds of applicants."

Speaking about the recruitment process, Kumri said, "Permanent appointment through interview is the only legitimate process. So far all those got regular appointments through a better, comprehensive and transparent process and border panel of experts."

"Teachers working on an ad-hoc arrangement is not guarantee to get a permanent appointment. If they are under the impression, they are victims of the misleading narrative of those trying to stop the permanent appointment prevalent in DU," she added.

'Heartbroken' And 'Disappointed': Sociology Students At IPCW

The "overnight displacement" of the sociology department at IPCW mid-semester has brought in a sense of fear within the students.

While some students said that this was not an isolated incident, others were "heartbroken" and "disappointed" to see their teachers, who have taught them for years, leave the college.

"Every professor had a very unique style of teaching, and all of us shared a close bond with them. This sudden change has come as a shock to many of us, and it would impact not only our academic scale but our classroom well-being as well," a sociology student at IPCW told The Quint.

Another student, requesting anonymity, believed that every disciple is best taught by people who are "experts in the field."

"I don't think somebody who does not have a background in sociology will be able to teach us well. Now that I hear that the new professors have political affiliations, I know our discussions won't be unbiased," she said.