The Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University laid down the foundation stone of a new academic block at Kamala Nehru College on Monday, 31st January 2022. Read more to find out about this new building.
The foundation stone of a new academic block was laid down at Kamala Nehru College by the Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh at a ceremony on Monday, 31st January 2022. This event was organised in two parts: the foundation stone laying ceremony, held at nature square in Kamala Nehru College, and the felicitation and address which took place in the auditorium hall of the college. The entire event was streamed live on the YouTube channel of the college to maximise the viewing capacity even with the COVID restrictions and guidelines in place.
This new academic block was proposed as part of the Other Backward Class (OBC) Infrastructure Expansion plan, implemented in the college in 2017. This plan can be interpreted as one building upon the past attempts to expand infrastructure after the implementation of the 27% reservation policy of 2009.
According to the statements by the college, the new block is to be built upon an area of 1250 sq. metres with a basement, a ground floor, a mezzanine floor, and a first floor. The ground floor is set to have a lecture hall with a 180-people seating capacity and a green room, equipment room, storeroom, and washrooms, while the basement would have nine tutorial rooms, a staff room, and lockers. The mezzanine floor is to have a loft and storerooms, and the first floor will have a classroom, a terrace porch, and a bridge connecting the new block with the old one. All the classrooms in the block will be smart classrooms. The college also added that this new building is an environmentally friendly structure, reflecting the college’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
As a student, inculcating smart learning and technology into the physical classroom feels like a great step to me. The addition of this new building and these classrooms will make it easier for the college to accommodate the huge student body, in addition to making learning more interactive.”, says Hridya Madhav, a first-year student of Kamala Nehru College.
The addition of smart classrooms signifies a change in the educational perspective of Indian institutions as well as of individuals who are part of Indian academia. This step towards adopting a more hybrid form of learning, in addition to the proposal and implementation of a policy like NEP, signifies a rising trend of change in the Indian academic sector.
After the laying of the foundation stone, the addressal began with recalling the laying of the foundation stone of the original building of Kamala Nehru College by the then-president V.V. Giri on 21st November 1972. This was followed by a felicitation of the chief guest, Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, as well as other senior officials who were present at the event including the Dean of Colleges, Prof. Balram Pai; Director, South Campus, Prof. Shri Prakash Singh; Chairperson, KNC Governing body, Shri Jaydeep Ahuja; and Treasurer, KNC Governing body, Shri Anwar Shahid.
The college’s principal, Dr. Kalpana Bakhuni elaborated upon the various ways the college had moulded itself to function in such unprecedented times of the COVID crisis, such as through the use of online resources, technology, as well as the various aids that were provided to the students through schemes like ‘Recharge the Learning Scheme’.
Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh also addressed the audience, appreciating the college’s efforts in adapting to this changed learning environment as well as in the context of the new academic block. He also brought attention to the NEP, emphasising the role played by higher educational institutions and teachers in the implementation of the policy and the need to properly understand the intricacies of the same. He also talked about the guiding principle behind this policy, which is inculcating a more comprehensive, all-encompassing, and value-enriched curriculum rather than one which is solely focused on academic achievements of students.
Read also “Guiding Lights in ‘Unprecedented Times’: DU Professors” https://dubeat.com/2022/02/guiding-lights-in-unprecedented-times-du-professors/
Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives
Manasvi Kadian
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