Three days after a former Delhi University ad hoc assistant professor allegedly died by suicide in west Delhi’s Pitampura, the fear of an uncertain future continues to haunt several others who lost their jobs in the recent past.
Samarveer Singh, 33, a scholar and an ad hoc teacher at Hindu College, killed himself after he was removed from the post in February. Samarveer, his friends and cousin said, was under immense mental stress over losing his job.
Pankaj Sarma, 38, a former assistant professor at Kirori Mal College (KMC) who lost his job on April 23, feels abandoned by the system. “I was a student of KMC myself and was teaching political science in the same college for 10 years. Even after that I was removed from my job only because I don’t have a strong backing from people who matter. Nobody fought for me,” Mr. Sarma said.
Many, like Mr. Sarma, are dejected over the fact that “people with lower academic qualifications and lesser experience have replaced them”.
“Many of them aren’t even qualified enough,” added Mr. Sarma.
Delhi University has over 4,000 ad hoc teachers who are hired for a period of 120 days at a stretch, comprising nearly 40% of all teaching staff. In the absence of permanent appointments for nearly a decade, they have carried the university on their shoulders. Interviews for permanent positions at the university and its constituent colleges were announced in September 2022. Many of the ad hoc teachers hoped to land a permanent job after the announcement, but in vain.
“I was hired on an ad hoc basis at Ramjas College in 2013. A lot of new teachers had joined back then. We were hopeful of a permanent post in future. But last year in December, I was removed from my job,” said a 40-year-old former assistant professor of history.
Another former assistant professor at Swami Shraddhanand College said, “They don’t care if you have a family to feed. If you’re not a bootlicker, you are out,” said the teacher who lost his job after working for 12 years.
