Housekeeping Staff, AUD

There are 41 housekeeping workers at Ambedkar University, Delhi, out of which 8 are women. Their shift starts at 7 in the morning and goes on till 4 in the evening. Between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. they clean the offices so that the teachers and administration can begin work on time. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. they clean the galleries, toilets, roads, etc. The work involves dusting tables and chairs; sweeping; doing poncha; emptying the toilet dustbin; cleaning the canteen area with acid and scrubbing machines. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. is lunch, after which they clean all the dirt and mess that collects at the end of a working day at the university. The toilet and canteen are washed thoroughly first thing in the morning but has to be cleaned at least 5-6 more times during the course of the day as the students tend to make a mess of it without a care. Sometimes they are asked to come and work on Sundays as well without any bonus payment for the extra work. But the 8 women housekeeping workers are exempt from this.

Students, Ambedkar University Delhi

Mohan and I have been talking about our course and the problems that we face quite regularly. Quite often we have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that the two of us do not always face the same issues and challenges.

We have four courses and each demands at least 2-3 assignments in the course of the semester. Some but not all ask for exams. Some make class participation part of the assessment as well. Some teachers really expect us to work a lot: weekly thought pieces, 1-2 readings for each class and active participation in classes while others just expect us to submit good assignments and come for a few classes. But there is a difference between what they expect and what they wish and desire. Teachers desire active and participating students, this means that the students must read regularly (2-3 hours a day), and be confident of speaking in the class. Some teachers also expect us to listen to them silently without disturbing them and not get distracted by phones and each other. So along with class what the teacher desires is around 35-37 hours of work a week. They probably expect one to do around 20-25 hours.

Teacher, Ambedkar University, Delhi

Being a teacher, particularly at a place like Ambedkar University is one of the most stressful experiences that I have so far gone through. Most teachers at Ambedkar are there, because they love what they are doing, which makes it more difficult. We find it very difficult to see it as a professional commitment that can be switched off at a particular time of the day. It is a matter of feeling responsible for students, wanting to do a good job. In a standard university system, responsibility of what teachers teach does not lie with the teachers, only of how it is taught. This can be very liberating, because the fault of a student not learning may lie somewhere else. In AUD the entire responsibility lies with the teacher who is forever struggling with the idea of what is best for the student versus what can realistically be taught in a semester. For young teachers who have never taught at undergraduate level at colleges, it can lead to a wide gap between the expectations of the teacher and the capabilities of the students. Most of us do try to translate our research into classes, which is very good for us, but not necessarily for the students.

TEACHER REPORTS-AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY DELHI

These are two reports from teachers at AUD, recounting the experience of the teaching process in terms of classroom work, administrative work and the gendered nature of the job as well as the intervention of the AUD Faculty Association (AUDFA).

WORKING IN AUD

1. Sumedha is a permanent teacher who has been in AUD for over 4 years, having taught for 5 years before that, in a DU college and a university. Unlike DU, the department has to teach from BA to PHD. Harish has been an Associate Professor here for a number of years, having taught elsewhere as well. While in other universities the work load is 8 credits per year and 4 per semester, in AUD they are expected to teach two four-credit courses each semester.

Students go on Rent Strike! – Christian Colony, North Campus, DU

In October 2014, tenants in Christian Colony in DU’s North Campus refused to pay rent until landlords agree to give rent receipts. They said that this would prove how rents varied in the same are. But when it was underway it was clear the strike wasn’t just about costs.

The colony has around 150 buildings controlled/owned by a handful of builders. Rooms are 6×6 feet to 6×8 feet. No light. Little air. Very few have attached bathrooms; usually 10 rooms share one bathroom. The water is ‘toxic’. Electricity bills are always much higher than they should be because of faulty meters. The rent: Rs. 2000-4500. There aren’t any rent agreements and older tenants generally pay less.

The Problem of Accommodation – TISS, Mumbai

I am an M Phil student at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. The institute has a severe paucity of hostels. Usually hostels are only provided on priority basis mostly to students who are in second year of MA and M. Phil. Rental accommodations nearby are extremely expensive. 6000 per person for a room shared by 2 people is the average. These accommodations are unfurnished and are located in areas which are not considered very safe. For a relatively safe rental accommodation which has all the basic facilities, students have to pay around 13000-­14000 for a shared room. 

Living Wage for All Researchers-Living Wage for All Workers!

OCCUPY UGC ON 26th OCT, 2 PM ‪#‎occupyugc‬ ‪#‎livingwageforallresearchers‬ ‪#‎livingwageforallworkers‬

As the protest against withdrawal of stipends provided to researchers moved into its 3rd day, students who were occupying the University Grants Commission (UGC) were detained by CRPF at 6 in the morning. They were then taken to Bhalaswa Dairy police station. Earlier, ABVP students pelted stones at the protesting students inside the UGC office. In support and to continue the protest another call was made to gather at the UGC office that was to culminate with a protest at 5 in the evening at Jantar Mantar.

What happened later during the day has happened quite often. UGC office was completely barricaded off by the police against which the students struggled. As the students broke the barricades, a brief lathi charge led to a couple of students being badly injured. As a follow up measure, voices came up to chakka jam (road block) the main ITO road against those who called for a sit-down to wait for a round of conversation with the UGC authorities. Ultimately, on the basis of a referendum, the chakka jam won. Due to pressure from the Delhi police, the road block didn’t last long. The students eventually settled to protest on the other side of UGC building while still cordoned off by the barricades. ABVP came to limelight again as a bunch of them were seen protesting with the same demands, albeit with a tweak. The police detained them, but unlike the morning detention, they were let off after the bus had merely travelled for 30 metres or so.

Living Wage for all Researchers!

On 7th Oct. the UGC decided to scrap the Non NET Fellowship from the next academic year. This fellowship provides the much needed monthly stipend of 5000 and 8000 to MPhil and PhD students respectively, and is applicable to all research students who are not covered by any other fellowship. Other than this, the UGC provides the JRF fellowship which covers a minority of the total students who qualify the NET. While not confirmed, it appears likely that given the existing UGC fellowships, and the scrapping of the Non NET fellowship, there will be no financial support for the majority of research students, barring those who qualify for JRF and a handful of other fellowships.

This news came out on 20th Oct (the UGC failed to broadcast the decision), via newspapers. Students in Delhi and Hyderabad have organised protests. The Hyderabad Student Union has demanded the reinstatement of the Fellowship with higher stipends. A demonstration has been organised in the campus.

Contract Work in Ambedkar University

In the early months of 2014, the teachers at Ambedkar University formed the Ambedkar University Delhi Faculty Association (AUDFA) and subsequent to that, deliberated on issues concerning both the faculty and students, the faculty’s place in the university structure, the functioning of the university, etc. Articles of the Faculty Association state that it is in solidarity with all other groups (students, non teaching staff, etc.) in the university and will use its position

Vijay, Cook

Vijay is from Kishanganj, Bihar. He came to Delhi in 1994 at the age of 18 and is a domestic servant. He worked in family homes but now works for university students as they are willing to pay more. He makes two visits a day, working 5-6 houses in all. He starts from 5.45 a.m. in the morning and finishes at about 1:30 p.m. He goes again at 5 p.m. and finally finishes by 11 p.m.