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30 Newly Introduced Courses To Not Start This Year in DU

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Various undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses may not begin this year in the University of Delhi (DU).

30 UG and PG courses that were to begin in about 20 colleges may not commence from this academic session. It has also been speculated that due to various technical difficulties, the admissions to regular courses would also be delayed further.

The Academic Council which had initiated this decision of introducing 30 courses in 20 colleges in the month of January this year, had approved to introduce the following courses in various colleges:

UG Courses                                                         

  1. B.A. (H): Bhim Rao Ambedkar College
  2. B.A. (H) Economics: Dyal Singh College(Eve), Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College                                
  3. B.A. (H) Philosophy: Hansraj College
  4. B.A. (H) Psychology: Lakshmi Bai College, Bhaskaracharya College
  5. B.A. (H) History: Dyal Singh College
  6. B.A. (H) Political Science:  Bhim Rao Ambedkar College
  7. B.A. (H) Hindi Journalism and Mass Communication: Jesus and Mary College
  8. Bsc Environmental Science: Vivekananda College, Indraprastha College

PG Courses                                                         

  1. M.A. English: Shri Gurunanak Dev College
  2. M.A. Hindi: Shri Venkateshwara College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
  3. M.Sc. Operational Research: Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Keshav Mahavidyalaya

“The council has also approved ten more vocational courses in some colleges from the upcoming session,” Professor Hansraj Suman, a member of the Academic Council stated.

There has also been an increase in the number of seats in colleges; with the B.A. (Programme) seats being increased from 40 to 200 in Hansraj College in the next session. Aditi Mahavidhalaya has also increased the number of seats in B.Sc. (Programme) from 55 to 80. The college will also have 50 more additional seats for B.Com (H), the minutes of the council mentioned.      

Mr Suman further said that even though these courses have been approved, the admissions may have difficulties as the Principals of these colleges have not been able to appoint teaching faculties. However, it is mandatory for the colleges to run these courses from the next academic session. He further added that the colleges can take loan from the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA), if needed, to pay the new teachers.     

“It’s terrible news because the competition for Operational Research (OR) has always been very high. The introduction of more seats would have surely helped with making it into the course more easily.” Joel Mathew, a student who has been preparing for the entrance test for OR said. This news has surely been a blow to entrance aspirants with respect to the PG course.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Stephen Mathew

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

Elections Result in Clash Between NSUI and the Administration at Lakshmibai College

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Student union elections in the University can be an utterly tricky business. They’re characterised by a volatile aura, where, in a fraction of a second, you might stumble upon an unruly mob at a place that’s otherwise calm and quiet.
In a recent showcase of events staged at Lakshmibai College, things took an unprecedented turn. Earlier this week, news spread like wild-fire that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters had manhandled National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) supporters, and that had a detrimental effect on the college’s discipline and sanctity.

According to Saimon Farooqi, National Media Secretary, NSUI, “The nomination was supposed to be carried out on a certain day, and the next day was restricted only for their withdrawal and not for accepting any further nominations. However, we found out that the Principal was using her power to accept the nomination for a particular candidate belonging to ABVP on the next day, and hence we called for an agitation against this malefaction. As we did so, ABVP activists charged against us which exposed us to physical penuries. Our National General Secretary, Ms. Karishma, was attacked by a blade in the ruckus.”

The case had not even cooled down yet, when another staggering chain of events came into the lime-light. A recent production at Lakshmibai College led to a clash of ideas between the college management and the political front. In what can be termed as an attempt to maintain decorum inside the college premises, the college principal, Dr. Pratyush Vatsala, allegedly, did away with the practice of declaring the college student union results on the same day as the polling, and dictated that they shall be announced on some other day, for which she hasn’t given the tentative date yet.

When DU Beat contacted the Principal for her take on the matter, she said, “I don’t care what NSUI thinks. I’m not answerable to them. I’m doing the duty that has been assigned to me. The decision to declare the results on a different date has been taken, keeping in mind various other aspects and proceedings that are going on in the background. The results shall be declared as soon as the proceedings are over. I can’t give any tentative dates for this to happen.”

The NSUI, on the other hand, has very different opinion on the matter. The union alleges that there is something fishy in the tabulation process, since the votes are being counted without the absence of any University appointed polling representatives as well as the candidates. There is felt the absence of a legit polling booth. According to the union, this is a dent on the transparency of the student body elections, and hence hampers the spirit of a free-willed student democracy.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Aashish Jain

[email protected]

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Campus Central

NSUI Members Allege ABVP for Violence in Campus at Lakshmibai College

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The DUSU elections are underway. The influence of student parties is not only a matter of contention at the university level, but at the college level as well.

During the elections in Lakshmibai College for Women, the student wing of the college affiliated to the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged the involvement of members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in violence that erupted in the college post the declaration of the election results.

“NSUI won unopposed on the post of President, Vice President, and Secretary.” said Sarah Iqbal, National Media Coordinator of NSUI and final year student of Lakshmibai College.

According to sources, the opposition student parties like Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) etc, at Lakshmibai College could not file their nominations to content in the internal students’ union elections due to discrepancies in their nomination form, or being late in the filing of the nomination.

Members of CYSS claimed that this was their first time contesting in the internal college elections, which resulted in a misunderstanding of the deadline to file the nomination forms. While students belonging to the ABVP had issues with the specifications in theirs. Hence, the posts of President, Vice President, and Secretary were declared as unopposed winners, crediting their political affiliation to NSUI.

The other posts, namely, Cultural Secretary, and Central Counselor (CC) had multiple candidates in contestation from the ABVP and NSUI.

After the declaration of the final list of candidates for the Lakshmibai College Students’ Union elections, violence erupted in the campus. Onlookers claimed men allegedly claiming to be ABVP supporters tried to enter the college forcefully and misbehaved with the lady constables deployed at the college gates.

Karishma Thakur, an alumna of Lakshmibai College and National General Secretary of NSUI claims to have gotten injured in the violence allegedly instigated by ABVP outside the college campus. Himani Tokas, who emerged as the uncontested President of the Lakshmibai College students’ union also claimed to have been verbally abused outside the administrative offices block of the college by the opposition party members. NSUI members have filed an FIR against all those involved in violence, and have requested the Delhi Police for extra security outside the college, sighting the violence committed against innocent guards and constables posted outside the college.

DU Beat tried to contact officials from ABVP; however, they were not available for comment.

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

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News

Lakshmibai College to Set Up Crèche for College Staff’s Children

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Lakshmibai College will be the first college in the University of Delhi to set up a crèche facility in August for the children of the college staff. The teaching and non-teaching staff will be able to bring their children to work, the timings for which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The crèche will consist of two rooms, a play room, and a pantry. It will have recreational facilities for children, including toys and material for painting and clay moulding.

The idea for this crèche came from the college staff approaching the Principal to request provisions for those who had infants and younger children that they could not leave at home.

Currently, according to the standard guidelines for Delhi University, permanent teachers get a maternity leave for six months and childcare leave for up to two years, the latter of which they can take in breaks or in one stretch. With reference to the crèche, the Principal of Lakshmibai College told Hindustan Times that she was confident that this facility would reduce the number of childcare leaves that teachers take. This would then allow them to focus more on their work.

The crèche will have at least two members of support staff to take care of the children. There are also plans to renovate an empty garage for older kids.

Sonica Singhi, a teacher of Economics at Lakshmibai College is currently on childcare leave and told Hindustan Times that the crèche will be of great help to her and other professors with toddlers. She said she will now be able to take her classes without having to worry about her child as she can check on him in between classes and breastfeed him. She feels that workplaces need to have such facilities for their employees and that it would lead to more productivity.

The initial building cost will be borne by the college but the recurring maintenance costs will be taken care of by monthly payments by staff wishing to avail the facility.

This decision and its implementation serve as a positive step towards catering for the welfare of the college’s employees.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Bhavya Banerjee
[email protected]

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DUB News

Lakshmibai College goes cashless; ID cards used for intra-campus payments

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“I no more need cash in my college. We pay through our ID cards everywhere within the campus” exclaimed Akankshya, a student pursuing B.Com in Lakshmibai College, as she flashed her new identity card which bears a bar code. In a step towards promoting digital transactions and encouraging Information and Communication Technology(ICT) based learning, Lakshmibai College has introduced new identity cards, through which students can make payments at all places within the campus. The identity cards that earlier used to be a gate pass for the college students, are now their food pass too!Provided they have money in their cards,of course.

Akanshya, student of Lakshmibai College
Kriti Thakur, a student of Lakshmibai College

The new cards can be used to make payments at the college library, canteen, photocopy shop and office. Students can load money in their ID cards through the website or the college’s android application. Then, they can use this money within the campus according to their own requirements. At all the points of payments, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used which scans the bar code present in the card and deducts the amount from the card. This initiative was launched as a joint venture between the college and Bank of India, which also operates a branch within the college campus.

According to many teachers and students, this initiative is the brainchild of Dr. Pratyush Vatsala, the principal of the college, who has taken several initiatives towards improving the digital infrastructure of the college. She says, “We wanted to increase the utility of the card, and thought why not make it usable for payments within the campus, so we added the cashless payment option to it. We’re the first college in all of DU to have introduced such a move.”

The cards have been colour coded to signify the students’ year. The first year students have purple-and-white cards, the second year students have blue-and-white cards, and the third year students have maroon-and-white cards. Those who hold positions in college societies have tri-colour bands on the cards.

“Our college began this initiative much before the demonetization was announced by our Prime Minister,” said Dr. Sucheta Gauba, a faculty member from the college. Speaking about the new initiative she insisted that this could be an example for other colleges of Delhi University to go cashless. She also said about various other initiatives that the college has undertaken for increasing digitalization of the facilities. The college has developed an app through which teachers can post crucial updates regarding classes, distribute assignments and students can even order food from the college canteen.

As our country is trying to come to terms with the sudden push of GoI towards a digital economy, this unique initiative by Lakshmibai College authorities is an example for other colleges of Delhi University, which are figuring out ways to create cashless campus by 12th of January, 2017 to fulfill the new order issued by the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry and promote a digital economy.

Srivedant Kar
[email protected]

Image Credits (both): hindustantimes.com

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