NEW DELHI: As many as 86 per cent ad hoc teachers at Delhi University have neither been granted maternity or medical leave nor did they have to receive any assistance, according to a study conducted by DUTA. Delhi University Teachers’ Association has been protesting for the absorption of ad hoc teachers and to put across other demands relating to them.
During a presser on Wednesday, DUTA President Rajib Ray said that the “inhuman condition” of the ad hoc staff “can be gauged by the fact that women ad-hoc colleagues have been forced to work throughout their pregnancy period”. DUTA spoke to 705 of the total ad hoc staff (about 4,500) and found that while four per cent of them had to lose jobs, 52.5 per cent of the teachers had no institutional help during their medical emergencies and maternity period and 29.3 per cent teachers had to go on leave without pay.
Only 14 per cent of the teachers had received support from their respective institutions or the varsity.
Most of the ad hoc teachers at the varsity are female — 57.1 per cent of them — and nearly 25 per cent are unable to pursue any academic activity, found the study. “Given that women constitute 57 per cent of the workforce, a sizeable percentage are either not able to plan families or face extreme hardship during pregnancies. Many more could have lost their jobs as the survey has been amongst those who were able to get back their job,” said the study.