New Delhi: The Delhi University Wednesday assured the high court here that it would ensure punctuality among its teachers and install biometric attendance register system in its various colleges.
"The university is committed to implementation of the biometric system, said the Delhi University (DU) registrar in an affidavit to the Delhi High Court bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw.
Accepting DU`s assurance, the bench today disposed of a plea for introduction of the biometric system for marking the attendance of teachers so that they do not miss classes.
The affidavit said, "The Delhi University is committed to adopting and implementing measures which are favourable and beneficial to the university system as a whole, such as the biometric system of attendance for its teachers in order to ensure their presence in colleges and ensure the participation of all teachers in the teaching process."
Referring to an UGC notification which seeks teachers` availability for at least five hours daily in the college, the university said, "After the implementation of the sixth pay commission, the teachers have lucrative pay packages and are expected to fully justify the trust and confidence reposed by the society in them."
The DU had filed its affidavit in reply to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Indian Council of Legal Aid and Advice, an organisation which renders advice to poor litigants.
The plea had said the DU was not introducing the "biometric system or attendance register for lecturers to ensure that they are regular and punctual in attending their pious and sacrosanct duty of imparting education to students and adhere to teaching hours and days prescribed by the UGC and University Rules."
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate R K Saini had argued on the last date of hearing that the UGC in its 2010 regulations provided that "universities and colleges must adopt at least 180 working days, that means there should be minimum of 30 weeks of actual teaching."
The lawyer had said non-observance of these regulations was against the interest of students and the cause of education.
"The working hours actually being put in by a lecturer/ assistant professor/ teacher in Delhi University on a daily basis generally are just about three and a half hours assuming tutorials are held as against the UGC prescribed five hours," the petitioner had contended adding "the teachers opposed the bid to implement the biometric system in December 2009."
It seems the university is not implementing the biometric system under pressure from teacher unions, which for the teachers` selfish interests do not want it to happen even as the same has been implemented for non-teaching staffs in the university, the PIL had said.
PTI
