The teachers’ body of Delhi University (DU) on Wednesday took to the streets to demand the absorption of over 4,000 guest faculty members, most of whom have been working for over 10 years.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) held a protest at Jantar Mantar here, a few days after the government told Parliament there was no proposal for regularisation of ad hoc faculty members in central universities.

The procedure for appointment of faculty members laid down by the University Grants Commission (UGC) has no provision for special consideration for ad hoc faculty members.

On July 18, Trinamul Congress MP Dibyendu Adhikari asked whether the government was considering regularising temporary teachers through one-time absorption.

“No proposal is under consideration in UGC to absorb the ad-hoc teachers as permanent teachers,” said a written reply by Subhas Sarkar, minister of state for education.

On Wednesday, hundreds of teachers joined the protest.

DUTA president A.K. Bhagi told The Telegraph that the ad hoc teachers had sacrificed their youth to help DU, which faced a teacher crisis as recruitments were put on hold.

“Every central university carried out regular recruitments from time to time except DU…. But these ad hoc faculty members came to the rescue of the university. They spent their youth serving the university. There is no provision for ad hoc faculty in UGC regulations. That is why we are demanding a one-time measure for their absorption,” Bhagi said.

The ad hoc teachers constitute 50 per cent of total faculty members.