The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi Govt.’s relentless fund cuts and push for privatisation have plunged 12 Delhi Govt.-funded colleges into an inconceivable financial crisis. Students, teachers, and non-teaching staff are all bearing the brunt of these policies. Over the last five years, the AAP Govt. has done the fund cut nearly by 32 per cent, allocating only Rs. 400 crores against the budget estimate of Rs 595 crores for these colleges. This has pushed them to the brink of financial collapse, rendering them financially unsustainable and unstable. In a stark contrast to the other 53 Delhi University colleges that have successfully completed the process of regularization in the past two years, these 12 colleges have not been able to make a single permanent appointment of teachers or non-teaching staff for over a decade. This chronic underfunding has led to an acute shortage of staff, with an upcoming academic session expected to see nearly 50 per cent of classes either significantly affected or not held at all. Against the requirement of 1,512 teachers, these colleges have only 824 on their rolls—528 permanent and 296 ad-hoc. The situation is similarly dire for non-teaching staff, with only 483 permanent employees and 285 on contract, totalling 728 against a requirement of 1,366.
The impact of these shortages is catastrophic especially when the college laboratories, offices, libraries, and general maintenance are all in a state of disrepair, making it increasingly impossible to run these institutions effectively. The casualties of this crisis are the students, whose academics and research opportunities are severely compromised. Adding insult to the injuries to the stakeholders, the teachers and the staff members are often not paid their salaries on time, despite the colleges operating with the extreme jerk due to the half-their-required-strength as many teachers working in these colleges have got permanent appointments in other DU colleges. Arrears, medical bills, and LTC claims remain unpaid due to the fund deficit. This dire situation has prompted the University of Delhi to hold a special session of the Academic Council (AC) to address the unjustified fund cuts by the Delhi Govt. led by AAP.
This Govt., represented by ministers like Atishi and formerly by Manish Sisodia (now in jail), has repeatedly accused the administration of these colleges of financial irregularities as the former in her letter to the Hon’ble Education Minister, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India Shri Dharmendra Pradhan shamefully suggested the Two Options of either “to de-affiliate these 12 colleges” from the Govt. of NCT of Delhi as Option 1 or “the Government of India may take the responsibility to fully fund these 12 colleges directly through UGC or the proposed Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) in future” while preferring the Option 1 from its own side, clearly citing the malicious intention of the Govt. of Delhi of de-affiliation from the University of Delhi.
However, despite multiple audits, no evidence of such irregularities has ever been found. The fund cuts appear to be part of a deliberate policy by the AAP Govt. to push these institutions towards autonomy and self-financing, forcing them to raise fees and burden students financially. This crisis is not limited to these 12 colleges only; the State-run Universities like DTU, DESU, NSUT, and IPU are also facing similar financial strains, having been compelled to charge exorbitant fees from students to stay afloat. The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and the University of Delhi’s Executive Council (EC) both have consistently opposed the AAP Govt.’s fund cut and privatization policies. Their stance has been vindicated, as no irregularities were found despite the AAP Govt.’s numerous audits.
The AAP Govt.’s policy is clear: underfund these colleges and push them towards autonomy. The Education Minister of the Delhi Govt. Ms. Atishi’s letter explicitly states the Govt.’s intention for these institutions to become autonomous degree-awarding colleges, a move fiercely opposed by DUTA, DU’s Executive Council (EC), and the Vice Chancellor. In addition to these 12 colleges, another 20 colleges funded by the Ministry of Education (MoE) through the University Grants Commission (UGC) but maintained by the Delhi Govt. are also suffering. Although these colleges have nearly completed regularisation and are paying salaries on time, they still struggle due to the Delhi Govt.’s failure to pay its 5 per cent share for maintenance. This has led to a lack of infrastructure development and maintenance, further exacerbating the crisis.
The Delhi Govt.’s nominees to the Governing Bodies of these colleges, often political operatives, have contributed to the misgovernance rather than ensuring smooth and progressive administration. This mismanagement has compounded the financial woes of these institutions, further deteriorating the quality of education. The ongoing situation is shocking and unacceptable. The AAP Govt.’s fund cut policy and model of misgovernance have both made the colleges of the University of Delhi suffer most adversely. It is high time now for the University of Delhi, the Lieutenant Governor, UGC, and MoE to take a decisive action leading to a permanent solution to the on-going-since-long traumatic situation present in these colleges. These 12 colleges must be brought under UGC funding to ensure their survival. The remaining 20 colleges, already UGC-funded but maintained by the Delhi Govt., should be taken over by the University of Delhi to put an end to this incessant cycle of mismanagement and underfunding.
Despite having not responded through the affidavit on the contempt petition filed by some of the serving and the retired teachers of Deen Dayal Upadhyay College, or against the Delhi High Court’s direction of releasing funds properly for the 12 DU colleges funded by the Delhi Govt., or in-line-with Justice Tushar Rao’s deliberation on Court’s patience running out, the Delhi Govt. has been at the peak of mismanagement and misgovernance. It’s tactful neglect of higher education and misguided courses of action demand immediately an urgent action. Severe funding cuts have crippled academic programmes and infrastructure, while mismanagement erodes trust among students, teachers and other stakeholders. This crisis jeopardizes learning opportunities and academic standards, impacting future generations. Immediate steps are essential: restore funding, ensure transparent governance, and support academic excellence. It’s not just about policy but a moral obligation to protect quality education. The time to act decisively is now, before irreparable harm befalls the 12 DU colleges funded by the AAP-led government.
