DU Directs Colleges to Implement Staff Social Media and Conduct Guidelines
The University of Delhi has instructed its colleges and departments located across New Delhi to follow guidelines regarding professional conduct and social media use by university employees. The directive asks department heads and college administrators to observe guidelines governing staff behavior on digital platforms in accordance with recent advisories issued by central authorities.
The university's latest direction follows a circular issued on June 29 by the Ministry of Education. In that circular, the ministry cited advisory measures recommended by the Central Vigilance Commission and asked all higher educational institutions operating under its jurisdiction to consider framing clear, formal guidelines regarding employee social media use.
According to the ministry's communication, the framing of these guidelines should focus on several specific areas of employee conduct. Key priorities outlined in the circular include ensuring professional conduct, maintaining institutional decorum, protecting the confidentiality of official information, and preventing potential conflicts of interest among university workers.
The new directive comes several months after the University of Delhi chose to shelve its own proposed draft policy aimed at regulating staff members' social media activities. The university had previously drafted internal rules to oversee digital engagement, but the administration ultimately set the proposal aside after stating that enforcing such regulations was "not feasible."
Beyond the scope of social media guidelines, the June 29 circular from the Ministry of Education also urged higher educational institutions to strengthen their preventive measures to curb potential irregularities in recruitment and administrative procedures. To prevent administrative lapses, the ministry advised institutions to enforce proper verification of educational qualifications and experience certificates for all applicants.
To ensure complete administrative oversight and record-keeping, the circular asked institutions to create and maintain a centralized digital repository for all recruitment-related records. Higher educational institutions were also instructed to put in place a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism to evaluate administrative complaints and handle recruitment disputes effectively.
