Delhi University has announced that 4000 new teachers will be hired on a permanent basis in 2017. Officials have agreed on holding of a regular selection process, but ad-hocs demand for absorption.
Delhi University is set to hire 4000 new teachers on a permanent basis in 2017. The Delhi High Court has been informed that advertisements for the same will be issued starting this month.
According to the HRD Ministry, in a meeting held with the Ministry, the University Grants Commission and Delhi University, it was “agreed” that “holding of regular selection process, in accordance with the rules and norms laid down in this behalf, is not only an imperative but is also beneficial — both for the student community as well as the teachers themselves.”
However, the ad-hoc teachers have demanded “absorption” as they say that the appointment and promotion rules adopted by the University’s statutory body are against them. Almost 4000 teachers are still serving on an ad-hoc basis as there have been no formal appointments in the University since 2006.
By the process of absorption, the ad-hoc teachers want to be made permanent in the departments/colleges that they have been teaching in. According to the Hindustan Times, a professor from Rajdhani College maintained, “All ad-hoc teachers have been employed as per the laid down selection process of appointment. The service of these teachers is reviewed after every four months. So there is no need to test again in the name of permanent appointment process.”
Teachers from across the varsity will be mobilised in January so as to take the plea for “absorption” to the President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. They had also written to the President earlier highlighting the problems they face. Photo Courtesy: Hindustan Times
With inputs from Indian Express and Hindustan Times
An entrance exam for B.Com is in the offing from the upcoming academic session, in order to give students a fair chance to prove their mettle.
It has been speculated that Delhi University is likely to conduct an entrance exam for admission into B.Com courses beginning from the admission process in 2017. Currently, Delhi University conducts entrance examinations solely for professional and post graduate courses; admissions to undergraduate programmes take place on the basis of 12th standard board examination results. The most well known course under DU which does have an entrance examination procedure for the undergraduate course is the Bachelors of Management Studies.
Dr. Manoj Khanna, the convener of the Delhi University admissions committee said, “We are planning to conduct entrance exams for admission to B.Com (Honours) and BA (Programme) for the upcoming academic session. We are ready for this in terms of infrastructure and preparedness. But this needs to be accepted by all statutory bodies.” Dr. Khanna also spoke about forming a tie up with the CBSE board in this regard. He also said that the foundation of this procedure will begin with the Commerce courses, but the committee is also exploring the possibility of this move in the case of other subjects. Dr. Khanna stated, “We are exploring all possibilities. We are taking all stakeholders, including college principals, faculty and students, in confidence and consulting them. If we succeed in organising this competition for the commerce stream, one-third of the student population will be catered to.”
The rationale behind implementing an entrance examination is that many deserving students do not get admission in several reputed courses and colleges due to low scores in board examinations. Through entrance tests all students will be given a fair chance to prove their mettle. Dr. Manoj Khanna also added that the admission committee is discussing the possibility of conducting an entrance test for Science and Humanities courses too. Furthermore, the University is also assessing how to strengthen infrastructure for online admissions and preparation of entrance tests, with a focus towards evolving a “student friendly” admission system.
Miranda House has issued a notice for the students of School of Open Learning stating that clicking selfies, combing hair and ‘modelling’ has been banned from the college corridors and that the students will be suspended for a day if caught indulging in the said activities. Varying reasons have come up for the notice being put up – authorities say clicking selfies is a threat to the reputation of the institute and claim that college property has been harmed in the past because of it.
The notice says: “Some students have been found clicking selfies, combing hair and modelling along the corridors. This is wastage of time. The university does not give permission for all this. If any student is found wasting their time, they will either be suspended from the class or will be asked to leave the university premises.”
The Principal of Miranda House, Dr. Pratibha Jolly, told Hindustan Times that the notice was put up only out of safety concerns. “We encourage our girls to be outspoken. We can’t stop them from doing anything. This was an unsigned advisory put out by SOL and it was only keeping in mind the way students dangerously perch on parapets and hang off poles. They might get hurt,” she said.
The notice is unsigned and was apparently put up in November 2016. A faculty member said that the build-up around the issue is being created now only because there is a hidden political agenda behind the hype.
On the other hand, some say the ban has to do with the college repute. Thinking of selfies as a threat to the status of Miranda House, a college official, who wanted to be anonymous, told The Indian Express, “Students hang from poles and pillars, sometimes they even vandalise property. A stone light near the cafeteria was broken. They put up these photos publicly, and since Miranda House buildings are so easily recognisable, people may think no serious studies take place here.”
Whatever the reason for the ban may be, students at Miranda House – SOL as well as regular ones – are not taking it well. Some SOL students feel that the new rule is a discrimination against them. Hindustan Times reported a student saying, “We anyway don’t have proper facilities. And now such rules being imposed on us. This is discrimination as many of us come from lower middle class families.”
A regular student of Miranda House, Joyee Bhattacharya, told DU Beat, “I feel that academic excellence depends on the willpower of the student to learn and blaming this solely on clicking selfies is a little far fetched. As far as damaging/vandalising the property is concerned, a notice addressing all students of MH and SOL should be put up which speaks about caring for our campus property wholly.”
The 74th Golden Globe Awards could have easily become just another humdrum routine on TV—men and women sashaying in expensive designer attire on a red carpet. Instead, it has ended up becoming a far more significant, almost a historical awards night, meant to be remembered and looked back upon in the years to come. Priyanka Chopra’s dazzling gown could not divert from the centrality of the issue of diversity. The acceptance speech for Zootopia, an animated film, included its makers emphasizing on this very topic. Within a period spanning over just a few hours, Meryl Streep went from being a Lifetime Achievement Award winner to an “overrated actress” and a “Hillary flunky”, all thanks to Donald Trump and his remorseless wisdom on Twitter. In the rarest of occasions in awards night history, Trump, politics and xenophobia gained precedence over fashion and hairstyles.
The highlights of the show, aside from La La Land which went on to receive an award in every category, were Jimmy Fallon (the host) and Streep herself. The former hardly attempted to make the celebrities in attendance the butt of his jokes, contrary to clichéd expectations from an awards show host, especially when he happens to host a talk show. Instead, he took jibes at the newly elected President. Streep took to the reverse side of the coin. Where Fallon was comic, she turned the attention to serious issues of discrimination and the fears of a common migrant. One got to hear the words “Hollywood”, “foreign” and “press” several times throughout the ceremony. But she declared, “[If] you kick them all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Be it a Ryan Gosling or a Viola Davis or a Dev Patel; for once, Streep united all actors under a larger umbrella issue—there is no difference between these actors and the thousands of migrants who make up the labour force of America. Neither Hollywood nor America can do without its diversity.
However, some amount of backlash did follow. It is true that Fallon never confronted Trump about racial discrimination, his views on gender or physical appearance. He did not attempt to do so even when Trump was a guest on his show. This is the primary foundation of the backlash. But this could be equally true for a talk show host like Jimmy Kimmel, who has invited Trump on his show before. Kimmel was not caustic either. Caustic humour and jibes, though all in good fun, do have a time and place to adhere to. Fallon’s humour is much like Kimmel’s, not confrontational in nature during the Globes or in the talk show and if he failed to hit the nail on the coffin somewhere in this attempt, Meryl Streep’s speech more than compensated for it.
Overall, the 2017 Golden Globes proved much more to be a comment on contemporary politics, the national hysteria surrounding Trump’s election and the pressing need for diversity rather than clichéd awards night trivialities.
There are some who delight in conversations or movies, while there are some who find peace only in pages embellished with printed words. But when this only resort to peace doesn’t arouse happiness like it always does; that is the beginning of a deep gloomy Reading Slump for every bibliophile!
Reading Slumps can be a very irksome period for some, while not so annoying for the others, but they definitely irritate the poor reader with unfamiliar predicaments like not finding the right book, or not “feeling like” reading. The Slump gets worse when the favourite part of the day annoys the book lover beyond measure and none of the books in the reading shelf attracts the eye, instead makes one cringe at the sight of it. Every Reader goes through this phase at least once during their “reading life”. Maybe it’s a signal to take a break away from the routine for a little while and maybe switch over from the genre, or switch over to some other pastime altogether, temporarily though. Seeing how common Reading Slumps are, we have found some super easy ways to help you step out from this dreadful phase; while all you have to do is not cling on to your books or favourite genres for some time and pick one of the ways mentioned below.
Pick up Magazines/ Journals; because a slight shift from Literature to issues that are currently being dealt with in the society can work wonders! This can help you find another genre to venture into or pull you back to your all-time favourite one; making you happy, or normal again.
Watching Web Series or Movies can be also a great way out from the slump. Movies or Web series that circle around your areas of interest can help you rebuild your interest in tales, which you think to have lost interest in; due to the Slump. Shifting to this pastime for some time would freshen up your mind, give you a little break and pull you back to your unattended book shelf again.
Reread your favourite book or your favourite parts of some book you like. Because recollecting those good old memories can always bring you back to your reading routine or at least your favourite genre/ author.
Set the right ambiance and reorganise your reading area. Cleaning up or making yourself comfortable in your reading space can probably be the best way to bring you back from straying away from your reading routine. This works with utmost ease for you can get right back on track without making the effort of trying out some different genre or pastime; and can quickly dive into the world of books again.
So try one of these to bounce back and find solace in your favourite company again, because nothing beats books for the bibliophile usually lost in the world of tales!
Filled to the brim with gossip, scandal, and confessions, “Koffee With Karan” recently made a comeback. Our correspondent tells you why we’re all so drawn to the iconic show.
The year 2016 marked the return of Karan Johar’s very popular “Koffee with Karan”, a show that occupies the holy hour on the family television screen every Sunday evening. As a rational nineteen-year-old, I believe I am above all the pettiness, gossip and drama that is synonymous with Bollywood. The sad part, however, is that even I am prey to Karan’s wiliness, and every Sunday from 9pm-10pm, I am racked with guilt, yet blissfully unaware of my surroundings, rooting for my favourite star and eagerly awaiting the results of the rapid fire.
The one question that evades me is – How does he do it? How does he manage to rope in individuals from all age groups? How does he manage to capture our attention for an entire hour? Inspiration struck when I saw my friend watching a particular episode for the third time. Karan Johar uses the same tactic that most international talk shows do, he packs all the drama and pettiness under a cover of “flair and air”, substituting the local cutting chai for the suave cup of coffee. The average Indian cannot resist the daily charcha, especially if it comes with glamorous actors and high-profile drama. On this, Johar delivers to the T.
Essentially, the programme focuses on digging dirt and bringing the personal lives of celebrities into the limelight. Karan does all of this unabashedly and shamelessly – a quality that ironically attracts Indian audiences instead of repelling them. A show containing all the gossip, awkwardness and insane drama that we need in our everyday, mundane lives, “Koffee with Karan” ticks all the right boxes, even for rational folks like me!
From sudden infrastructural changes to administrative departments running around and looking all dazed and cold feet, whether we choose to agree or disagree, but the preparation for NAAC inspection sent almost every college in a frenzy last year. And with the NAAC Peer Team coming, preparations caught up in full swing, involving an uncanny resemblance to a household situation where an unforeseen wedding had suddenly come up. With all the white-washing, denting-painting, revamping, reckless spending of money, running around, fake smiling, boastful talks about one’s college in the air during ‘NAAC days’, our belief in the aforementioned analogy only gets stronger.
With a panel touted as a meticulously chosen handful of very experienced academicians and people who understand the ‘education system very well’ coming and assessing colleges under NAAC, the question arises, does a grading matter after all?
What is NAAC?
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. An outcome of the recommendations of the National Policy in Education (1986) which laid special emphasis on upholding the quality of higher education in India, the NAAC was established in 1994 with its headquarters at Bangalore.
Upon requests by individual colleges and universities, the primary accreditation agency of the country conducts assessments and grades institutions. The agency’s cumulative gradation of institutions is based on parameters like curriculum, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance and student services.
The process: How does it accredit colleges
Assessment and Accreditation are broadly used for understanding the “Quality Status” of an institution. In the context of Higher Education, the accreditation status indicates that the particular Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) – a College, a University, or any other recognised Unit therein, meets the standards of quality as set by the Accreditation Agency, in terms of its performance, related to the educational processes and outcomes, covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance, financial well-being and student services.
The top and the bottom: How did DU perform
While most colleges applied for the NAAC accreditation long back, the visits majorly took place last year and the scores were released soon after. In the initial phase, IPCW secured a CGPA of 3.33 (Grade A) and ANDC secured the second spot by getting a CGPA of 3.31 (Grade A).These were followed by Gargi College (3.30), St. Stephen’s College (3.21), Jesus and Mary College (3.26), Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (3.16), Ramanujan College (3.06), Shivaji College (3.26), Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce (3.02), Keshav Mahavidyalaya (3.01), Bharati College (2.85), PGDAV (2.74), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College (2.63), and Motilal Nehru College (2.60).
Later in the year, SRCC and LSR emerged at the top with a whooping score of 3.65 and 3.61 respectively. Take a look at the top 10 scorers in the table here.
Top 10 scorers
Image credits: HT Media
These scores are valid for five years after which the colleges will again have to apply for accreditation. It was in 2012 that UGC made accreditation compulsory for higher educational institutions and DU executive council adopted the decision in 2014.
Does the grade even matter?
As far as we remember, such a panel as meticulously chalked out as NAAC didn’t exist many years back. While grading brings in a state of competitive spirit (as if the previous branding and rep-bias that exists in the university wasn’t enough already) the question arises, does the same grade then not end up shining the pride of the already well established and some popular DU colleges and create biases against some others who might actually be needing a lift from the loom of being less sought after and meagerly funded?
Whether the committee gives out grades on the hastily dip-dyed infrastructure especially revamped for their visit or the actual system in place is still a question for many to ponder upon.
The accreditation process got a thumbs up from some colleges, however, many raised objections over the assessment criteria too from time to time. Speaking to a popular national daily, Babli Saraf, principal of Indraprastha College for Women, said there shouldn’t be a “one-size-fits-all” criteria for colleges. “The criteria shouldn’t be the same for a liberal arts college like ours, where we do not have the provisions for a laboratory and are not involved in research publications,” she said.
In most cases, colleges started a laborious and hasty revamp revolution, to save their grace in front of the NAAC peer team and not to raise their quality standard in general altogether. When your transformation drive is initiated to fulfil a set of stipulatedideas by a panel that is not even remotely looking at how you provide for the students, the timely assessment of whether the students and teachers are happy with the administration of the college, whether the college has some unique traits that may not figure in its already set parameters, if the college is lacking in research, what should it do, then that grading doesn’t stand much ground. The NAAC website says that they provide a ‘qualitative part of the outcome as a Peer Team Report (PTR)’ which is an objective report prepared by the Team highlighting its evaluative judgements, mostly using precise keywords instead of long sentences about the college under consideration, but I doubt these objective answers bring any real on-ground changes.
Does a low grading not mar the reputation of a college that might be in dire need of those funds, facilities and attention that it rightfully deserves in order to raise itself to a better education imparting platform? What good is a grade for colleges that are already popular among students and parents and get truckloads of funds? Should a grade not help encourage a college to become a more holistic space than label it as an ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ type college for years to come. Finally, does a grade mean anything more than a fancy wall hanging of a newspaper clipping on the college walls for many many years, or does it actually ignites change? This is for time to tell and for us to ponder.
If you are interested in reading about NAAC and the process, log on to http://www.naac.gov.in/ for detailed information.
Kick off the first month by commemorating some unusual-yet-relatable Days approved by and throughout the world with this guide!
We’ve all heard and celebrated the multitude of highlight festivals and National Days of this country; from absorbing the patriotism on Independence and Republic Day to revel in the happiness of your birthday, we’ve all been there and done that. Keeping up with infusing degrees of ‘new’ in this New Year, start off the opening month of 2017 with ‘Days’ which are on the verge of sounding made-up but have been stamped authentic by the calendar!
3rd January- Festival of Sleep Day
Commencing the New Year with an activity desired and treasured by all, The Festival of Sleep Day seeks to grant 24 hours devoted to catching up on sleep after the merriment and sometimes daunting activities of the December holidays. This unusual yet enticing holiday sets out to celebrate in the Sweet Land of Sleep!
4th January- Trivia Day
Succeeding the hype of the popular culture game, Trivial Pursuit, January 4th pursues the likes of curious minds who are fascinated with the nitty-gritty of general knowledge. The festival can be played with friends and family alike; endeavouring to bring to light little-known facts about anything and everything all around the world!
7th January- Old Rock Day
Following the second connotative meaning of the word ‘rock’ here, Old Rock Day is a celebration for Geologists and rock enthusiasts who want to delve deep into this field of Geology. From fossilised articles to stones, everything ‘rocky’ becomes their object of fascination. It is widely speculated that the origin of this day is centred around the actions of The Flintstones family!
8th January- Secret Pal Day
A derivative of Friendship’s Day perhaps, Secret Pal Day aims to celebrate friendship and its many shades. One can embrace the day with reaching out to long lost friends, spending the day with ones you treasure, and feel the warmth of a beautiful friendship!
11th January- Make Your Dreams Come True Day
We live to dream and dream to live. Every day our hearts are invigorated with a genuine desire to work towards something we aspire to, thus forming a pivotal crust of ourselves. This day pushes you to go that extra mile for transcending your vision into reality; from talking to someone who inspired you to getting started with a project, this is vast territory!
15th January- Hat Day
This one will be a personal favourite of the Mad Hatter. From internalising a sense of power to complementing the range of your dress and providing protection from the extreme weather; hats are a wonder accessory to spring your personality to life, so pick out and wear a hat this day which screams you!
16th January- National Nothing Day
A day of sitting idle intellectually is one of the dreams, and the Americans seem to have carved a National Nothing Day to provide them with the liberty to officially disregard honouring or celebrating any event. Ironically, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on the third Monday of January which means that one-in-seven January 16th’s will fall on the same day as National Do Nothing Day!
19th January- Popcorn Day
Bread is incomplete without butter, and movie days are left unsatisfied without popcorn! A day celebrated to salute the white balls of addiction; January 19th is marked as the National Popcorn Day, while the National Popcorn Month falls in October. Curious, isn’t it?
20th January- National Cheese Lover’s Day
Cheesy fries, cheesy popcorns, cheese shining in its glory; sounds all degrees of appetising! January 20th officially celebrates the love we harbour for cheese, so put on the extra comfortable pants to indulge in everything cheesy. Fun fact: there are more than 1400 varieties of cheese!
23rd January- National Handwriting Day
A throwback to times of school when your handwriting seemed to serve various purposes. With the National Handwriting Day, people are implored to resort back to the good old days to explore the purity and dynamics of the manner and disposition of writing!
31st January- Backwards Day
As the name resonates, the last day of the month has been reserved for the art of including rearward aspects in our life. From wearing the back of the shirt in the front to trying and writing backwards, all activities canvassing the period of this day should defy from going straight!
As the country collectively boils over Bangalore’s New Year Mass molestation case, the girls’ colleges of Delhi University have collectively undertaken the decision to ban all singers and rappers with sexist and misogynist lyrics in their songs.
“We have never considered these mainstream Punjabi singers to perform in our fests. A big reason behind that are their highly sexist and offensive lyrics. Miranda House as an institution stands for feminism and to endorse these singers means going against something we stand for.” said Shalu Chattha, President of Student Union, Miranda House.
“I don’t agree with this ban on Punjabi singers in girls’ colleges. But they may have a different perspective and our college has a different perspective on calling these artists,” said Kuldeep Agnihotri, Join Secretary of Student Union, Aurobindo College, DU.
Recently, Sona Mohapatra had slammed IIT- Bombay in a Facebook post for being sexist as organisers refused to let her perform without a male co-artist in their annual cultural festival, Mood Indigo.
The common sentiment of shunning offensive lyrics that go on to become a part of pop-culture is echoed among many girls’ colleges across Delhi University. With the rise in cases of molestation, rapes and eve teasing around the nation, it is essential to take actions that will help in limiting and ultimately curbing misogyny in mass culture.
While the step is welcome, it raises other questions. These same colleges use the same songs in other events. Popular songs are also used by dance societies as performance tracks. Events like fresher and farewell parties also include playing such songs.
How far does the step of banning artists go when these same songs are played for other purposes?
While that may be a relevant question, the step can be seen as a beginning of a change and is welcomed by many.
DU Beat also tried getting in touch with LSR- often touted as the poster college for feminism in Delhi University. The Student Union President wasn’t keen on giving any answers. On being asked to give a generic non-political statement on the promise of anonymity, the president was silent and resisted commenting on the same.
Feature Image Credits- Paurush Bhardwaj for DU Beat
Spread the warmth is an initiative undertaken by Sanchie Shroff and Shiv Kumar Bansal, both being students of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. The campaign, is a pan-India cloth collection and distribution drive happening across seven cities namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Patna, Chennai, Kolkata and Siliguri.
The Collection Mechanisms:
1. Collection Centers: Set up collection centers at 75 retail outlets of Big Bazaar across the seven Indian cities.
2. Schools and Colleges: Contact various school and college authorities for implementing this drive
3.Doorstep Collection: Set up volunteer meeting points in Delhi where people from across the city/volunteers from NGOs/ students from schools and colleges voluntarily come together to ensure maximum collection.
Major Highlights of ‘Spread The Warmth’s journey so far:
1. The collection drive across 75 Big Bazaar stores began on the 1st of January, 2017
2. Various Schools and colleges in Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi have initiated the campaign already.
3. Our Siliguri team conducted the Doorstep Collection on 28th and 29th December, 2016. They collected 13.02 Quintals of clothes in just 8.5 hours.
On the 8th of January, 2017 we will be conducting a doorstep collection drive in Rohini Sector 9. We request everyone, to join us for the Doorstep Collection Drive in Rohini. To volunteer, they can follow this link: https://goo.gl/forms/xSn37MJoDnWcsvsV2. We would like to inform all the residents of Rohini Sector 9 to contribute to this cause and keep the clothes ready for contribution on 8th.
With the support of esteemed organisations like the Future Group (Big Bazaar), Safexpress, Goonj, Lions Club, etc., we aim to collect tonnes of clothes and impact thousands of lives across the nation.
