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The University of Delhi conducts semester exams twice a year that puts the student in an exhaustive procedure of gathering information, scribbling notes, and remembering it in an unthinking fashion. This habit of mindless rote learning is being subconsciously promoted by the question paper framework and pattern set by the committee. The long questions demanding long answers underpins the act of students of not delving into the meaty parts of a concept and getting engaged in the gross lengthening of an answer.

Moreover, the repetitive nature of particular questions every year makes the question paper very predictable and further adds to the scenario. Such medieval predictable pattern of question paper encourages the student to employ the very controversial  ‘Guidebooks’ reference to sail through the semester which has always been deemed as an unhealthy practice.

With an increasing demand for skillful students in job sectors, DU’s question paper pattern fails to meet the required standards and this calls for a sharp revision in the methodology of testing in the current scenario. DU examination committee should evaluate the loopholes and try covering it in the subsequent terms.

Instead of few long questions, the question paper must comprise of relatively more short questions covering a greater span of the syllabus. Short question ensures that students are thoroughly going through the given readings as a short question demands a to-the-point answer. An ideal question paper should have more realistic questions where a student can connect the theory into practical applications and realities. This would develop intellect in students’ mind. Largely, a question paper should have more of conceptual questions than the long questions. This would inculcate a habit of active and associative learning among students at all levels.

Its high time that the authorities of the University of Delhi should come together and take the onus to bring about a revolution and overthrow this age-old method of taking an examination and instill a more scientific way of testing knowledge and skills.

 

Feature Image Credits: Matchboard.co 

Sandeep Samal

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The University of Delhi is planning to introduce an app-based attendance system in order to bring transparency. A pilot test run was being conducted in a few colleges, however, it received backlash from the teacher’s.

Recently news broke regarding the digitisation of attendance at the University of Delhi that is to be done via an application based system that will help students track their attendance in real time. The colleges where the beta testing was underway are Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Lakshmibai College, Shivaji College and Aryabhatta College. However, this system received criticism from many teachers of the colleges.

In a press release on Friday, the Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) called this a “mindless experiment” stressing on the fact that the university failed to take into account the cost and feasibility. This discussion regarding the rejection of the app-based attendance system took place in a DUTA Executive meeting held on 22 December 2017.

In the meeting, the relevance of the prevailing attendance system was discussed, highlighting its positive aspects and calling it a satisfactory arrangement. “There is no special/additional advantage to students if attendance is uploaded on an hourly/daily basis. It, however, certainly increases time and effort of teachers towards it. Over-focus on attendance cannot help towards raising quality. Rather, it will lead to mechanisation and over-regulation. The DUTA also fears that this hourly based monitoring will be used for surveillance and will become a handle to victimize teachers.” the press release stated. Miranda House teacher Abha Dev Habib told Indian Express, “In a few colleges where the app was implemented, teachers still kept paper records because of fear of data loss.”

DUTA also blamed the central authorities of Delhi University for undermining the role of Statutory Bodies and emphasized that the university lacks focus when it comes to the real issues that confront the university today. DUTA deems the university spends “efforts and resources on a change which has no real bearing on the quality of education”. In the press release, DUTA claimed to engage with students and take joint action against the implementation of such a system.

 

Feature Image Credits: Indian Express

Bhavya Banerjee

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The inauguration ceremony of the Delhi School of Journalism finally took place on Thursday, after three months since the commencement of classes. Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Honorable Vice President of India and Chancellor of the University of Delhi, attended the ceremony as the Chief Guest.

The inauguration ceremony of Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ) took place on Thursday, 21st December 2017 at the Convention Hall in the Vice Regal Lodge. Prof. Yogesh Tyagi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, and Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, Chairman of DSJ’s Advisory Council were present alongside several Deans, Principals, and other dignitaries.

The ceremony began at 4 p.m. with the lighting of the lamp ceremony that was accompanied by the live music of shankhnaad played by people dressed in traditional saffron robes.

Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Honorable Vice President of India, attended the ceremony as the Chief Guest. Speaking about the ethics of journalism, Mr. Naidu said, ‘As an aspiring journalist you should learn to never surrender against the truth. We need media personalities who have nationalistic instincts and know how to use their influence and reach responsibly.’ He also appreciated DSJ’s course structure that allows a student to learn multiple regional languages like Tamil and Bangla. ‘Before learning any second language, a person must master his mother tongue’, he said.

Shri Ram Bahadur, Chairman of DSJ’s Advisory Council, in his speech stated that DU’s journalism courses are laced with ‘anarchy’ and lack a standard syllabus. He didn’t explain what he meant by anarchy. He also asserted that the present media industry consists of anti-establishment and pro-establishment entities which jeopardises the truth from coming out. Evoking Buddha’s principle of the middle path he stressed the need for neutral journalists.

Prof. Yogesh Tyagi spoke about the ethos, aims, and the vision with which DSJ is created. He said that ‘this youngest member in the Delhi University family’ is the most democratic and transparent institution. He highlighted that DSJ provides world’s only integrated programme (both undergraduate and post-graduate) in Journalism. He also pointed to the unique curriculum of DSJ that is sensitive to both local and global needs.

Mementos of appreciation were given to the academicians and faculty members who helped in various aspects of establishing the programme. A bilingual magazine by the students of DSJ was also released in the ceremony. Prof. J.P. Khurana, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi, concluded the event with a vote of thanks.

NSUI protests against the  self-financing mode of Delhi School of Journalism

While the inauguration was going on, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress, staged a protest at the Faculty of Arts against the de facto privatisation of public universities under the guise of self-financing. They demanded the UGC funding for the Delhi School of Journalism and an immediate rollback of the exorbitant fees. As of now, DSJ’s annual fee is 78,000 thousand. NSUI claimed that despite the steep fees being charged, there is no permanent faculty available yet.

Image Credits: NSUI
Image Credits: NSUI

 

Feature Image Credits: Dainik Jagran

Niharika Dabral

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With the end of the semester, it’s that time of the year where we look back and think of all the things we could do.

The dreadful month with the semester exams are over. The endless preparation, extensive consumption of coffee and painstaking nights looking at the books while scratching the head are now all over. But end of the exams also marks the end of another six months of college, and we naturally end up evaluating the semester thinking about how things were and how they could have been.

Looking back at when the semester began, all of us remember the plans we had made and the things we had promised to do. We had made a plethora of points under the “not-to-do” list and the ones we wanted to do. There were six valuable months of the college life which we planned to spend by learning new skills and increase our knowledge. The list might have varied from joining internships, taking classes to being a part of the college societies. The main highlight of the list might have been the point to study seriously from the beginning of the semester. Now that the semester has ended, many of them seem a fantasy.

Time flies and this is probably the time when this fact hits us hard. We have all heard that college life is probably the best time of our lives. But this also happens to be the time when we shape ourselves for the future. The tug-of-war between making our resume and making memories seems to be never-ending. The semester that began with the most ambitious of targets ended up being filled up of nights that were spent drinking, the classes that were bunked, the most pointless of conversations that took place in the canteen and so much more. The thing is- this is what gave us joy.

But there’s always room for hope and improvement. So once again, with the coming of the new semester there will come a much planned and thoughtful list. This list will be much better than the previous one. This is will also have the points listed in a strategic manner such that the loopholes of the previous semester are covered. Some of us might also give ourselves the liberty of setting a bit more than what is possible. And all of us know the line, “If I set a big list, I’ll complete at least half of it.”

The process of preparing this list seems no less than a ritual and will probably be followed this semester as well. So let us all prepare our lists filling them up with the best and the most filtered points. But yes, let’s see how many boxes we tick this semester!

 

Feature Image Credits: IStock

Karan Singhania
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The college administration cited the surplus staff strength as the reason following the calculation of the required ‘workload’.

University of Delhi’s Motilal Nehru Morning college released a press release on its official website on Tuesday stating the termination of three ad hoc teachers. Among the discharged was a teacher from the Computer Science department whose name could not be learnt in addition to Arunakar Pandey and Shashi Kumar from the Hindi Department. The teachers believe that the college used faulty calculation methods, as 41 teachers at the staff council meeting went on to complain the “wrong calculation”.

Workload is the number of a teacher’s teaching hours at the college. The workload at the University has been a cause of tussle between the Teacher’s Union and the University Grants Commission (UGC) ever since the Regulations introduced in 2010 which specified that the workload to be not less than 40 hours a week for 30 weeks in an Academic Year. Later it was further increased after the 2016 UGC gazette notification, leading to widespread protests last year. The Ministry of Human Resource Development had later intervened and asked UGC to re-examine the guidelines, leading to the University’s resolution on workload.

The sacked teachers opined that the college administration had infringed these guidelines in their case. “Blatantly violating the rules, the college sent me a termination letter late in the evening. Following protests against this calculation, the college principal said the standing committee is reviewing it,” The Indian Express quoted Shashi Kumar as saying.

The college administration could not be reached for any further response on the subject inspite of our repeated efforts. The student community was particularly disturbed with these developments. A student from the Hindi Department when approached by our correspondent said, “Mr. Kumar had been serving at the college from eight years. It is most unfortunate.”

 

With valuable inputs from The Indian Express. 

Feature Image Credits: College Dunia 

Nikhil Kumar
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On September 21st, Principal Pawan K Sharma, Dyal Singh Evening College received a notification from the Executive Council stating the approval for the evening college to become a morning college. The decision to rename the college is being opposed by the government.

In a meeting held in November, the Governing Body of Dyal Singh College decided to rename the evening college to Vande Mataram Mahavidyalaya once it is converted to a full-time morning college. This decision was taken into consideration due to the fact that Dyal Singh College (morning) already exists and the first evening college in University of Delhi set up in 1958, i.e, Dyal Singh College (evening) will have to be renamed.

On Tuesday, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Prakash Javedekar informed the Upper House of the Parliament of India that the decision to change the name of Dyal Singh College (evening) has been put on hold. This issue had been raised in the Zero Hour of Rajya Sabha, where Naresh Gujral, a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party politician, representing the state of Punjab in Rajya Sabha stressed that even though the name “Vande Mataram” does evoke patriotism among the public, the decision to change the name of a minority institution is a direct assault on the feelings of Sikhs. He also branded this decision to be unfortunate and condemned it. In his speech, he called for the managing committee to be replaced instantaneously. “Majithia had sacrificed his life and possessions to improve the state of education in the country. He had set up several schools and colleges, including one in Lahore”, Gujral said.

The college has been named after Sardar Dyal Singh Manjithia, the first freedom fighter of Punjab, founder of The Tribune and Punjab National Bank. Manjithia set up an education trust in 1895 to help set up a “true secular college” which helped lay the foundation of Dyal Singh College in Delhi University.

In response to this issue raised by Naresh Gujral, HRD Minister Prakash Javedekar emphasised that the decision to change the name of the college had not been taken by the government and that the Centre does not approve of it. He said that they have asked that the decision should be withheld forthwith, and an immediate meeting must be convened about this pressing matter. The minister added that Delhi University has been informed about the same.

 

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

Today, millennials are determined to get their first taste of work-life before they turn 21. At the same time, there are hundreds of startups hungry for raw talent. Internships fit the startup business model well since young companies have an uncertain future and a low paying capacity. This has had a spillover effect, with established brands now competing with startups to attract fresh talent, and stepping up their internship programmes.

In the last four years, the internship market in India has undergone a quiet revolution—fuelled by the internet economy. Gone are the days when an internship was the privilege of those from a few top colleges. Gone are the days when internships had to be facilitated by colleges’ placement cells. And, also, gone are the days when internships meant slogging for free.
Even though the demand for internships far outstrips the supply, here is a list of a few companies that are offering winter internships for undergraduates starting from December/January, in the Delhi-NCR region.
For your convenience, attached to the list is also the email IDs/application portal links to the companies. But mind you, employers generally complain that new hires don’t know how to draft professional emails. So before you apply, ask someone in your family to advise you on email etiquette or follow the advice given on several online blogs. You could also use some of the customised cover letter services available on the internet.
Philips

With a legacy of over 126 years, Philips employs around 105,000 people across over 60 countries in the world. At Philips, you gain exposure to technology and business both, which coupled with your passion and ambition gives rise to an enriching internship experience.

As an intern in Philips India, you might get a chance to work in on the three R&D centers of the company: Philips Research Institutes in New Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram. You will get chance to work on real projects and enjoy some amazing perks and benefits including a good stipend amount. Mail your CVs to [email protected]
SAP

SAP makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. With customer base across 180 countries, SAP has offices in more than 130 countries worldwide.
Interns get access free food & fully stocked micro-kitchen with free cookies and popular drinks, free gym membership, phone and data reimbursements. Internship at SAP India is generally for a duration of 2 months. You can apply for an internship through company’s official page as well as through reference.
You can spend as many months interning with SAP as you want if you are able to show real growth and learning. From coding internship to internship on Big Data, IoT, marketing and many more, there is no dearth of choices regarding the kind of internship you want to do.

Rather than just enquiring about the internship through an email or through phone call, you can visit the office itself since it is so close to the University Campus: 89, FF, Main Road Kingsway Camp, Delhi, 110009

Internship helpline number: 097116 68396

JUNIPER

Juniper is a company which develops and markets networking products. Its products include routers, switches, network management software, and network security products.
Unlike other companies where internship starts during summer, an internship at Juniper begins in January every year and has a duration of 6 months. The company is very particular about the skill set they look for in an intern and hence they encourage you to apply for an internship only through their official website. The perks at Juniper are surely great with highly interacting social events to tons of options for the game and fully loaded snack room.

Juniper India internship helpline number: 011 3092 2900
BRITTANIA

The Indian food-product corporation has its head office in Bengaluru. It is the leading food company in India with Rs 8500 crores in revenue. Britannia Dairy is one of the largest divisions of the food corporation and it accounts for 10% of the company’s total revenue.

Apply for an internship with the ‘Biscuit King’ with their summer internship program. Every year during December, Brittania rolls out hundreds of internship position in different steps. Applicants have to fill out an online form and they get graded on their general cognitive ability and roll-related knowledge. Whats more? Britannia also gives a ‘Best Summer Project’ award where the best intern will be given a sizeable cash award. Contact number of the HR associate in charge of internships is
011 3078 8000
Zomato

Zomato is India’s first restaurant search and directory service that currently operates in 23 countries. It serves The Web and mobile users by providing information, menus, and ratings related to various restaurants, taking away the hassle of dining out, ordering food or food takeaways.
Starting from the first week of January up to mid-Jan, Zomato is offering internship opportunities in the disciplines such as data collection, sales, support and software development. Whereas they provide excellent exposure to the interns by helping them contribute to the products that are serving the community, they find the right talent and assess them on the parameters required for the job before offering them an internship opportunity. In addition to working on the technology products, interns are paid a good stipend and given the opportunity to learn from the best in the industry.
Internship helpline: 91 8375 073452

Ernst & Young

EY finds it place on the 100 best companies to work for. Their internships-mostly provided only in the field on consulting rather than the technical aspects of work-are usually for 4 months to 6 months for students, although a number of part-time and short duration of internships are also available.
The internship assignments make you work on the real projects and give you the opportunity to share the stage with the experts from the industry. In addition to experiencing a world-class work culture at EY, you also get an opportunity to qualify for the EY International intern Leadership conference, held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, USA.

apply athttps://webforms.ey.com/Content/DContactus_New?Openform&EmailId=IN%20Webmaster&Indx=&site=IN_en_ContactUs&URL=http://www.ey.com/in/en/careers/students

Tata Steel

A part of the Tata Group, Tata Steel is a legendary name in the history of Indian industry. Tata Steel runs an internship program called, Parikshan, where they put you on assignments that revolve around patents and innovations in the field of material sciences.
From 2-weeks internships to full-time intern, there are many different types of an internship opportunity at Tata Steel.
In an environment where ethics and culture plays an important role in the everyday lives of employees, the interns learn the nuances of the trade from the veterans of the company. In addition to a great stipend, interns get access to all the amenities available to the full-time employees at a minimal cost.

You can find out more about the internships on offer at the http://www.tatasteel.com/careers/
or you can also call the internship helpline number: 011 2334 2636.
Siemens

As a great first step into the world of professionalism, you learn to apply your knowledge to the day-to-day work at Siemens. Having a legacy of nearly three centuries, Siemens operates in a variety of industry domains, including Industry, Energy, Healthcare and Infrastructure & Cities. The company is a prominent maker of medical diagnostics equipment and provides healthcare products to almost every country in the world, with their cutting-edge technology and a sound understanding of the trade. Putting your skills into action on real projects directly gives you a competitive edge over the industry peers. Siemens is currently offering winter internships for the Gurugram office.

Siemems internship helpline: 1800 209 1800

VMware

A subsidiary of Dell Technologies, the prime business of VMware is in cloud computing and platform visualization software and services.
Just like its diverse range of product base, different kinds of internship opportunities are also available with VMware. Since the bar of standards is quite high at VMware, this option is restricted to those with interning experience in at least two organisations. In the internship, you get an opportunity to work on real-projects under the supervision of higher authorities. You are accessed not only for your technical skills but for your analytical thinking and ability to take initiatives, excelling in which will land you a full-time position with this business giant.
Choose your internship field area at https://careers.vmware.com

Very few students who apply for internships ever follow-up with the employer on the status of their application. As a result, they naturally have an edge over the 98% who don’t. Following-up indicates sincerity and a genuine desire to do the internship. You can send the first follow-up email four or five days after your first email, and another email about a week after the first follow-up. If you still don’t get a reply, keep calm and carry on—with another application elsewhere.

Feature Image credits: biz_intern
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

Third-year Political Science students of the University of Delhi, who had opted for ‘Public Policy in India’, an optional paper offered in the fifth semester, have filed a complaint to the University over the out of syllabus questions in the exam.

Questions on the feminist perspective on the state, the forest policy in India, and a short note on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan had left the third-year students of the University in B.A. (Hons.) Political Science  baffled, with many raising allegations that these questions were not part of syllabus. These students had opted for the optional paper, ‘Public Policy In India’, offered in the fifth semester and the exam was conducted on Saturday. Enraged students have filed a complaint with the authorities regarding the issue.

The question paper which is of 75 marks consists of 8 questions out of which any 4 are to be attempted, each question carrying 18.75 marks. Of these 8, three questions — Discuss the forest policy of India. What are the challenges facing the policy today?, Discuss the feminist perspective on the state, and a short note question on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have caused distress. Moreover, the Hindi translation of the question on feminist perspective was also not appropriate, students alleged. The complaint was first raised by students of Daulat Ram College and Ramjas College.

Students of Ramjas College have written to their Department Head Tanvir Aiejaz to mark them ‘leniently’ or they will be ‘at loss’. Both students and teachers have raised a hue and cry over choice being reduced/restricted to students after such out-of-course questions in the examination. Suranjita Ray, the teacher-in-charge at Daulat Ram College, has already written to the University’s political science head, Navnita C Behera, asking her to look into the matter. In the letter to Behera, Ray has said: “I request you to instruct the paper setters and the moderation committee to keep the prescribed syllabus in mind. Such a thing impacts the performance of students,” as told to The Indian Express

Some teachers have claimed that the question paper might have been changed during the moderation process. Usually, the varsity sends the question paper for moderation and then it is printed and sealed. A three-member board set up by the University prepares the question papers and a senior teacher of the department is enthroned with the responsibility of moderation. After the semester system came into effect, the process of setting the question paper and moderation norms have changed which thence arises many problems.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Oorja Tapan

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The array of street shopping points dotted around the city provide a consistent supply of affordable fashion pieces throughout Delhi’s four-month-long winter season. Here we bring to you a bunch of photos documenting some of the most vibrant shopping points.

Sarojini Nagar- It is one of Delhi’s biggest and most important markets. It is a destination for every college student who’s out on a hunt for trendy clothes on a budget. From stylish clothes to fashionable junk jewellery, Sarojini Nagar never disappoints! It is an evergreen market for those looking to indulge in shopping without shelling out their entire month’s pocket money/salary. The lanes give you access to surplus clothing meant for export, which means you are very likely to find apparel from Zara, Forever 21, HnM or on occasion, even an Indian designer, for a fraction of their in-store prices. This popular shopping hub is thronged with hundreds of people daily. Even though Delhi is full of shopping complexes and markets, only handfuls are able to give you good value for money. In this aspect, Sarojini Nagar certainly tops the list with trendy clothing items starting at just Rs. 100/-

The Shopping Mall- Gurugram is known as the Millennium City since it is the home to many famous shopping complexes that host a variety of brands. However, you don’t always have to burn a hole through your wallet while shopping in. Much like Delhi, Gurugram also has its own market which can be compared to Janpath and Sarojini Nagar. The Shopping Mall, Arjun Marg can be found in the residential area of DLP Phase. This market is a shopper’s delight since it is not very crowded. This place offers you everything a traditional mall does but at very reasonable rates!

HUDA Market- The HUDA market is one of the most vibrant markets in Gurugram since it has a great footfall and immense popularity within the local residential community. Along with shopping for clothes and amenities, you can enjoy the delicious street food. Here you can find almost everything you need to be cosy and at ease this winter. From beanies to leggings, you don’t need to spend your entire allowance in order to keep warm.This market hosts a plethora of branded and non-branded winter wear at throwaway prices. 

 

Feature Image Credits: P.V. Purnima for DU Beat

Image Credits: P.V Purnima and Nitika Yadav for DU Beat

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]