Urvi Gupta, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

St Stephens Caught in University Merry-Go-Round

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has dropped a bone of

contention in DU this time around. It seems that he recognizes the need for DU to be

constantly shrouded in controversy and debate and apparently the unending discussion

on the semester system left him quite bored. So, to spice up things just a little, Mr. HRD

Minister has declared a proposal in which St. Stephen’s College will be converted into an

autonomous institution and will have the power to issue its own degrees for prospective

educational programs.

DU teachers have expressed concern over this proposal. They are vehemently against this

autonomy granted to St. Stephen’s College. They believe St. Stephen’s is one of the best

reputed colleges across India and such a proposal is certain to nudge it over to a bleak

future. Furthermore, Delhi University would suffer a ‘loss of epic proportions’ following

the move. This proposal however, is not unprecedented as DU has already have been

refused concept of autonomous colleges, as it aims towards making institutions more

self-sufficient by increasing their resources.

Teachers also maintain that the ‘spiritual harmony’ of the University would be disrupted

as the concept of making colleges autonomous creates a sense of diversity rather than

unifying entities that are so socially varied. After Delhi College of Engineering and

possibly NSIT, DU is weary of losing St. Stephen’s as well.

Having seen relative inactivity over the past few months, DUTA has resolved to tackle

this problem in the most effective manner possible. The Delhi University Teachers

Association has forced the DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh to oppose the move of

declaring St. Stephen’s an autonomous institution, taken by the HRD ministry.

At this juncture, the question to be asked is whether such proposals, withdrawals and

discussions benefit the students of the University, whom they’re in essence supposed to?

Or are they merely whims of people who’re portrayed as the much needed harbingers of

change in our education system?

–

Urvi Gupta

[email protected]

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has dropped a bone of contention in DU this time around. It seems that he recognizes the need for DU to be constantly shrouded in controversy and debate and apparently the unending discussionon the semester system left him quite bored. So, to spice up things just a little, Mr. HRD Minister has declared a proposal in which St. Stephen’s College will be converted into an autonomous institution and will have the power to issue its own degrees for prospective educational programs.

DU teachers have expressed concern over this proposal. They are vehemently against this autonomy granted to St. Stephen’s College. They believe St. Stephen’s is one of the best reputed colleges across India and such a proposal is certain to nudge it over to a bleak future. Furthermore, Delhi University would suffer a ‘loss of epic proportions’ following the move. This proposal however, is not unprecedented as DU has already have been refused concept of autonomous colleges, as it aims towards making institutions more self-sufficient by increasing their resources.

Teachers also maintain that the ‘spiritual harmony’ of the University would be disrupted as the concept of making colleges autonomous creates a sense of diversity rather than unifying entities that are so socially varied. After Delhi College of Engineering and possibly NSIT, DU is weary of losing St. Stephen’s as well.

Having seen relative inactivity over the past few months, DUTA has resolved to tackle this problem in the most effective manner possible. The Delhi University Teachers Association has forced the DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh to oppose the move of declaring St. Stephen’s an autonomous institution, taken by the HRD ministry.

At this juncture, the question to be asked is whether such proposals, withdrawals and discussions benefit the students of the University, whom they’re in essence supposed to?Or are they merely whims of people who’re portrayed as the much needed harbingers of change in our education system?

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SRS, DU and Valentine’s Day

Yes, the Sri Ram Sene has reared its ugly head once again choosing Valentine’s Week to do so. The right-wing

sensationalist group known for its own moral policing has mellowed down considerably but is still frowning

over PDA and Valentine’s Day in general.

In order to make sure that the youth does not lose touch with its culture and tradition, the Sene intends to

educate the youth in a three-day awareness campaign at North Campus of Delhi University. It plans to lay

special emphasis on the vileness and repugnance of the festival and aims to drive students toward celebrating

Basant Panchami instead.

Although the SRS has resolved to shun violence, it has issued a warning to couples who want to celebrate

Valentine’s Day. The Sene has stated that the couples who are out to celebrate will be videotaped and the

videos will be telecast through YouTube; the ideology being that they would be shamed in front of the entire

world. In order to carry out this ‘mission’, Sene members have armed themselves with many cameras and

spycams to capture the ‘culprits in action’.

Abiding by the slogan, ‘Make love, not war, just in the privacy of your rooms and not in public’, national

spokesperson of the SRS, Sunil Tyagi, says, “We are not against love. What we are protesting against is

the vulgar display of love. We won’t allow our culture to be hijacked by foreign multinationals who have

introduced concepts like Valentine’s Day just to sell cards. When we upload such videos on YouTube, the

couples will learn their mistake.”

And that’s how we ‘love in a decent manner’.

Urvi Gupta

[email protected]

Yes, the Sri Ram Sene has reared its ugly head once again choosing Valentine’s Week to do so. The right-wing sensationalist group known for its own moral policing has mellowed down considerably but is still frowning over PDA and Valentine’s Day in general.

In order to make sure that the youth does not lose touch with its culture and tradition, the Sene intends to educate the youth in a three-day awareness campaign at North Campus of Delhi University. It plans to lay special emphasis on the vileness and repugnance of the festival and aims to drive students toward celebrating Basant Panchami instead.

Although the SRS has resolved to shun violence, it has issued a warning to couples who want to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The Sene has stated that the couples who are out to celebrate will be videotaped and the videos will be telecast through YouTube; the ideology being that they would be shamed in front of the entire world. In order to carry out this ‘mission’, Sene members have armed themselves with many cameras and spycams to capture the ‘culprits in action’.

Abiding by the slogan, ‘Make love, not war, just in the privacy of your rooms and not in public’, national spokesperson of the SRS, Sunil Tyagi, says, “We are not against love. What we are protesting against is the vulgar display of love. We won’t allow our culture to be hijacked by foreign multinationals who have introduced concepts like Valentine’s Day just to sell cards. When we upload such videos on YouTube, the couples will learn their mistake.”

And that’s how we ‘love in a decent manner’.

Keep Reading