Now Reading: DU asks colleges to follow social media rules months after shelving own policy
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DU asks colleges to follow social media rules months after shelving own policy
DU asks colleges to follow social media rules months after shelving own policy
The University of Delhi has directed its colleges and departments to comply with central guidelines on professional conduct and social media use for employees, months after shelving its own proposed policy on…
The Story in Brief
The University of Delhi has directed its colleges and departments to comply with central guidelines on professional conduct and social media use for employees, months after shelving its own proposed policy on the matter. The move follows a June 29 circular from the ministry of education, which asked higher educational institutions to frame clear rules on professional conduct, institutional decorum, confidentiality and conflict of interest on social media.
The initial policy, framed by a six-member committee in December 2023, faced objections from teachers over academic freedom and freedom of expression. DU abandoned it in May this year. Separate responses from JNU and Ambedkar University Delhi said they had not issued new directives. Jamia Millia Islamia did not respond. The education ministry circular also calls for stricter recruitment oversight, including digital record-keeping and grievance mechanisms.
The Indian Opinion
The U-turn from drafting its own social media policy to simply passing the buck to colleges on central guidelines is revealing. The previous policy died over academic freedom fears, yet the underlying urge to police faculty speech remains. Education ministry directives, however softly worded, serve the same purpose: chilling dissent through procedural ambiguity. The real test will be a specific instance, say, a professor criticising a government scheme on X. Watch if DU then invokes conduct rules to act, bypassing the abandoned policy entirely.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
