The Delhi government announced its decision to pay the salaries of DU staff. Under the AAP government, there comes 12 Delhi University colleges. These colleges are fully funded by the Delhi government. In the recent update, they decided to pay the outstanding salaries out of the Students Society Fund (SSF).
Infuriated by the move, the youth wing of major political parties Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) raised their voice. They protested separately on Tuesday i.e. 20th October 2020.
Even before the protestors could reach the Delhi Secretariat 53 of them were detained by the Delhi police. However, they were released subsequently, said the police.
The Students Society Fund can’t be used to pay the salaries of the staff members. It will violate the university statutes, said NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan. He added that the student fund is a portion of the fees collected from the students and thus it’s not ethical to use to pay salaries.
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He demanded on behalf of NSUI to take back the directives. He asked the Delhi government to release the grants for the payment of staff salaries. Moreover, he pointed out the hypocrisy on part of the Delhi government that on one hand, it announces a high budget for education and on the other is resisting to give the grants.
Siddharth Yadav, Delhi state secretary of ABVP said that this is an assault on the rights of the students. Previously the college management increased the fees charged from the students. Further defoliating the problem, it released a directive to pay the salaries from students’ funds. The issue cannot be ignored.
Hiding behind the uncertainty of the pandemic, the Delhi Government is reluctant to show its incompetence. He added that the government is trying to justify its actions by making the excuse of the coronavirus pandemic. SSF is meant for student welfare programs and should be utilized there.
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He suggests that the control and management of these 12 Delhi University colleges come under the Union government. Highlighting the plight of students studying colleges under the Delhi government-controlled colleges, he pointed out the inefficiency of the Delhi government.
The protestors sat outside the Secretariat building and raised their voice against the directive released. They pointed out the ill-effects it will have on the student community. However, police stopped the ‘Chalo Dilli Sachivalaya’ or the ‘March to Delhi Secretariat’ to reach the Secretariat building.
The SSF corpus is parted out of the fees to fund the student societies in colleges. The remaining amount can only be utilized for student welfare purposes.
Moreover, the guidelines of the University Grants Commission mentions that if the colleges fail to pay the salaries of the students due to account deficit then the Delhi government will come to the rescue.
Akshit Dahiya, President of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) said that when the teachers are not paid their salaries, students also get affected. On the other hand, he says that the SSF corpus is meant for the student community and the Delhi government can’t misuse it. He said that the matter will be taken up to the High Court. They will demand the nullification of these directives. He strongly says that no paisa from students’ funds can be used to pay the salaries.
The move is also criticized by the officials and the teachers’ body. The 12 Delhi government-funded colleges have not paid salaries to the faculty for three months.
