Despite its high brand value, DU’s limited financial aid creates a privilege bias, preventing many talented students from middle and lower-class backgrounds from participating in international competitions. The Dean Students’ Welfare has existed since years, but how much of ‘actual welfare’ has it offered to the students in need?
Founded in 1922, the University of Delhi has evolved through various eras since its inception. The education system has modernized, with the university keeping up with updates like the implementation of the NEP. However, outdated traditions and a lack of liberal mindset still prevents a lot of students from pursuing and succeeding in competitions they only can dream of. While the authorities celebrate university’s major jump to 328th position in the QS World Universities rankings, a lot of cards are still left to be explored. Research plays an integral part when it comes to university rankings. But are the students on campus receiving the benefits and research opportunities they really wish to pursue?
My own experience illustrates the broader issue of inadequate financial aid at DU. In July 2024, I received an acceptance letter to HPAIR’ 24 Asia Conference (Harvard Project on Asian and International Relations). Lacking a dedicated funding cell in my college (ILC, Faculty of Law), I sought assistance from the Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW). Unfortunately, the officials informed me that no financial aid was available,
We don’t have any such provisions for funding students.
The situation becomes even more significant to address when almost Rs. 16,980 are being extracted as the “University Welfare Fund” and Rs. 10,000 are extracted as “Faculty/ Department/ Student Welfare Fund” (According to the prospectus of BA/BBA LLB 2023-24). As a law student in the five-year integrated program, it was shocking to find when the application for financial aid was rejected, with the department citing a lack of provision for funding university students. Ironically, despite extracting substantial amounts from student fees, the department has not yet established a scheme to provide financial assistance to students. Another student from Faculty of Law adds,
As per my knowledge, there is no source of funding here in Faculty of Law. There is a common budget that DU divides amongst its colleges which is further distributed among the college societies and administration. We hardly get anything.
Similar observations can be noticed in the case of Faculty of Technology where students pursuing B.Tech are paying the same amount for welfare fund.
It is well-known that student societies and cells at DU often struggle with insufficient funding. As a result, these societies often have to rely on their own initiatives, such as hosting inter-college competitions and conferences to raise funds for annual events. On speaking to a few students and alumni of Delhi University, results reveal how the majority doesn’t even know what DSW is.
Is this something that exists in every college? To be honest, I didn’t even know that something like that exists. As far as competitions and events are concerned, we don’t receive any financial aid from JMC.
-Anonymous (Jesus and Mary College)
While colleges like Hindu have established scholarships for academic achievers, support for competitions and events remains limited.
No, the college doesn’t have a separate society that looks over financial aid for students and we did not reach out to DSW for any help regarding the same.
-Jogaram, a student from Hindu College
While some colleges do offer financial aid, the question remains: Is this support genuinely effective, or is it merely a facade of administrative formality?
Venky has a financial cell, though I don’t know its name. We didn’t need to approach the dean; a Google form was circulated for the application. The freeship is granted based solely on financial conditions such as family income and the death of a father, so there is no competitive process. A friend of mine received the aid, but only half of the fee was waived—despite having no father. The assistance ranged from 30-45% based only on family income.
-Azmat, a student from Sri Venkateswara College
Research is a crucial factor in university rankings. Delhi University, with its diverse student body, faces a pressing need to enhance financial support tailored to the specific requirements of each academic discipline. Law students encounter substantial costs for participating in international moot court and negotiation competitions, while commerce students require significant funding for start-ups, incubation programs, and other competitions. Each academic discipline has specific financial requirements. In enabling students to achieve global recognition and enhance the university’s prestige, Delhi University still struggles to provide adequate financial aid and support mechanisms to students.
Hours before the LLB examinations were scheduled to start on Thursday, 4 July, 2024, the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, released a notice informing the students about their postponement.
The Delhi University’s Faculty of Law postponed the LLB end-term exams scheduled to begin on July 4, 2024, in an official notification released a night before the planned date. “Under the orders of the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, the examinations of LLB II, IV, and VI term scheduled from 4th July are postponed,” it said, without citing any reasons. “Fresh dates would be notified in due course of time,” it added. The exams were scheduled to start on July 4 and end on July 26.
As per the PTI reports, Vice Chancellor, Yogesh Singh, explained that the exams were postponed due to a significant number of students being unable to attend, citing low attendance. He stated,
Students will need to attend two weeks of classes to make up for the shortfall in attendance. After this period, new dates for the end-term examinations will be announced.
Raunaq Bali, a final semester student, expresses their anguish on X, about the potential delays in the academic and professional journey of students.
Hundreds of us in the final semester have been stranded now and won’t be able to join our law offices and LLM programs on time.
Sonakshi Gaur, another user on X criticized the institution for delayed teacher appointments and highlighting that students suffer due to these management failures.
The appointment of teachers is inexplicably delayed by 1-2 months, exacerbating the problem. How can the Faculty of Law, which prides itself on being a premier institution, lag so far behind in these critical areas? Students are bearing the brunt of these management failures.
Students also voiced their concerns about the unfairness towards those who attended classes regularly, as the decision seems to be driven by some students failing to meet the attendance requirements. Speaking to DU Beat, a student from the Faculty of Law, who wished to remain anonymous, said,
This is not a new issue. Students are detained almost every semester, but it is unfair to make others sacrifice and disrupt their future plans.
As per the The Indian Express reports, Megh Raj, an assistant professor at Faculty of Law, adds,
The postponement of examinations for even semesters in the Law Faculty by V-C will create difficulties for students. Some of the final-year students who already have taken provisional admission in LLM courses at different universities will not be able to submit their final degree within time. Also, there will be a delay in the completion of the LLB degree; and consequently, the registration before the Bar Council as an advocate. Moreover, this decision would disturb the next academic session as well.
Raj is also a DU academic council member.
This abrupt postponement is part of a series of recent disruptions, including the postponements of the University Grants Commission – National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test – Postgraduate (NEET-PG). It also comes on the heels of several reported irregularities in the NEET Undergraduate (UG) exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Delhi University’s postgraduate courses’ fees skyrocketed after a steady climb over the last few years, right after the 46% annual fee hike announced last year. The Student’s Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest at the Arts Faculty on June 27, 2024, against the inhuman hike in fees that has been implemented across courses from Bachelors through Doctorate programs.
Amidst controversies about Delhi University’s alignment with the ruling party and its consequent reflection in the University’s alleged negligence towards a larger goal of education, its students among minorities and its relatively indiscreet partisanism, questions about the University’s financial framework have surfaced. Over the last two years, the University has experienced mammoth hikes in annual fees, including a 46% increase announced last year, a prodigious 1100% hike in PhD course fees and a further increase in the already high fees of Postgraduate courses.
The English Department at both the PhD and M.A. levels has noticed a notoriously exorbitant hike, compared to other departments where the hike has not surpassed an amount of Rs. 2000. The PhD course has seen an increase to Rs. 23,968 from Rs. 1,932 last year, which was revised to Rs. 17,118 after protests. While Delhi University South Campus Director Shriprakash Singh opines that the fee has been “rationalised” and that they have not received any complaints from the students, DU faculty member and secretary of the Democratic Teachers Front, Abha Dev Habib, took to social media to express her strong disapproval of the mandate and that “the revision is not satisfactory.” Similarly, for the postgraduate courses in the English Department, the fees have been raised from an already hefty Rs. 15,000 in the academic year 2022-25 to Rs. 25,000 in the academic year 2024-26.
In light of the brutal fee hikes and its grim ramifications for the majority of the student demographic at the varsity, the SFI unit of Delhi University called for a protest on the 27th of June at the Arts Faculty in the North Campus of the university, agitating against, what they term the “arbitrary and whimsical” hikes. It released a statement on Instagram condemning the silence and “the inaction of ABVP-led DUSU, for their lack of accountability and failure to address student concerns”. The slogan “fee must fall”, popularised during the protests against the fee hike at Jawaharlal Nehru University, reverberated in the captions of the Instagram post, with concerned and targeted students expressing solidarity with the sentiment of SFI.
I’m a PhD scholar at Delhi University. I took my admission in October 2023. Where my seniors had to pay a thousand-four hundred, I had to pay twenty-four thousand”, a PhD scholar was recorded saying by the SFI organisers at the protest. Another lamented, “For my graduation, my fees were 13,000. When I speak to my juniors now, I discover that you will find no college with fees below the margin of 21,000.
While the University is torn apart under a regime characterised by a tumultuous power-politik and unaffordable fee structures throughout educational institutions that follow the NEP course framework, students continue to voice the injustice they face across various campuses of Delhi University.
Amidst infrastructural issues present in various colleges, a fan fell from the ceiling over a student causing an injury on her head at Laxmibai College. Read to find out more.
On 22 April, 2022, a fan fell from the ceiling of Laxmibai College, University of Delhi, causing injury to the student sitting beneath it. The principal of the college, Pratyush Vatsala, informed that the student faced minor injuries and nothing serious or major. This accident caused the student a minor injury on her head. According to her, as soon as this accident took place, the student was given immediate first aid and her parents were immediately called to the college. Soon after, parents, along with some college officials took the student to hospital and as informed by the principal, she is doing fine.
Reportedly, the exasperated students started questioning the college infrastructure after the accident. They also claimed that there is inadequate availability of drinking water and the washrooms are quite unhygienic. Further, the Principal added that the primary reason that caused the accident is unknown. She claimed that the maintenance committee of the college too did not find any faults in the functioning of the fan. According to her, both the teachers and the students who were present in the room during the accident did not hear any noise or faced any other disturbance from the fan. However, reportedly, she has asked the concerned authority to check all the fans in the college.
This is not the only college under DU facing infrastructural issues. Kalindi College, DU, has major infrastructural problems. From poor desks and peeled walls to serious hygiene issues in regard to washrooms and drinking water, these colleges need immediate attention to improve their infrastructure.
In Conversation with a student from Laxmibai College, informed DU Beat that the college has not yet disclosed the details or any updates in regard to the accident. All that the students are aware of is the fact that the students of the college are safe and there has not been any major accident.
Besides this, both the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have submitted a few maintenance issues present in the college. In response to this, reportedly, the college has asked for the details of these issues which would assist the former in order to solve them.
Protests took place in University of Delhi to demand the conduction of OBE for the even semester students. However, protesting students found themselves amidst police brutality. Read to find out more.
On 4 April 2022, a protest demanding the Open Book Examinations (OBE) broke out at the
Arts Faculty Gate-4 at the University of Delhi (DU). This protest took place in light of the
forthcoming even semester examinations that are scheduled to take place in the month of
May and June 2022, in physical mode. Students gathered in large numbers to demand the
examinations take place in online mode (OBE). However, it soon turned into a site of
brutality that was discharged by the Delhi Police. The protesters were manhandled by the
Police, which was followed by their detention.
Video Credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat
In their press release, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) displayed their solidarity
with the protesting students demanding the OBEs for the upcoming examinations. AISA also
condemned the police brutality unleashed upon the common students.
To increase the support for the protest, AISA activists mobilized hundreds of students across
the campus to join in the call for demanding OBEs. Still and all, the Delhi Police went on the
offensive against the common students, detaining two of AISA’s activists.
The Delhi University’s administration showed its characteristic indifferent attitude while
hundreds of students contested its policies for their future. This behaviour towards the
common students is absolutely unacceptable. The DU-VC (Delhi University- Vice-
Chancellor) must answer for these grave offences against the common students.
-All India Students’ Association (AISA)
Further, AISA resolved to continue the struggle unhindered and unafraid of the malicious
intent of the Administration and the constant use of police to curb students’ movement.
As the protests are progressing, the students of DU have various reasons in support of the
OBEs. In conversation with a student from Kamla Nehru College, DU, told DU Beat, on the
grounds of anonymity, that it is quite unjust for the students to appear for exams in the
physical mode. She stated that the decision was absolutely inequitable because more than
half of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode, in most of the courses across the
colleges in the University. Moreover, the final year students, in all the courses offered by DU,
are also appearing for the physical examinations which put a big question mark on their
future, as stated by the student. She believes that the final examinations which would denote
the end of college life for many students are quite valuable and to toss it off onto the factors
of uncertainty that are carried by the physical exams is intolerable.
I have a practical course and yet more than half of the things have been taught to us
through the screens of our laptops. How can the university expect that the students are
ready to appear for physical exams, given the situation where none of us appeared for one
in over a year. This step intends to jeopardise our academic future.
Another student who was present at the protest told DU Beat, on the grounds of anonymity,
that offline exams would have been justified if the classes were conducted in the physical
mode. However, given the situation that the classes were conducted on virtual platforms, like
zoom, where both students and the teachers faced network issues quite often, along with the
fact that the past 3 semesters were completely online, this is a sudden change and it
became a routine to not completely comprehend what was taught, as stated by the student.
Moreover, the student expressed her concern over the sudden reopening of colleges where
they were stuck between finding new accommodation, labs, projects and exams. The
student informed that almost 80% of the syllabus has been covered in the online mode
where the professors were not very concerned if each student was attending the class. It is
becoming very difficult to cope up with these sudden changes along with the offline exams,
as expressed by the student. In addition to this, the students at the protest told DU Beat,
how the students were threatened by some professors to appear for the physical exam in
place of their demand for online mode. The students at the protest further mentioned that if
they resort to online papers, the teachers will fail them.
The teachers told us that they’ll make difficult papers that we won’t be able to pass. They
showed us two papers and said that if you give offline paper you’ll get good marks, else
you’ll get barely 10 out of 30 in internals if you appear for online exams. Later on when
students checked those papers, both the online and offline papers were the same. Now, how
are we supposed to trust them?
-Student of DU
Earlier, the university had issued a notification where all the students, who are appearing for
the exams in May and June, were notified that the university will be providing them with extra
30 minutes which is a one-time measure in the given circumstances. In addition to this, the
university requested the faculty of various departments to provide the students with
additional choices in the question paper, along with the directions of conducting mock tests
as a part of the Internal Assessments, with the intent to prepare the students for the physical
exams.
Enactus, the global non-profit community which seeks to inspire action, has transformed communities in more than thirty-six countries with the help of visionary minds. Emphasising on the monumental impact of entrepreneurial action, the Enactus community has been working towards manifesting an independent world by generating employability through its unique projects. Colleges under the University of Delhi have established their presence through relentless efforts and have emerged successful in catering to the plethora of social issues plaguing thousands of lives. Here is a compilation of the events, projects, and achievements of the prominent Enactus societies of the University of Delhi.
Enactus Ramjas
The Ramjas chapter of this social venture commenced in 2011 and has successfully catered to three models of business since its inception. These include the Enactus Store, Project Bawarchi, and Project Transcreation. Enactus Store is an online platform which specifically caters to the products and services of Enactus teams all around the country. Project Transcreations seeks to help the transgender community to sustain their lives through providing them with entrepreneurial avenues such as cab driving, jewellery making, etc. They have also launched their very own beauty parlour in Saket solely run by transgenders. Project Bawarchi is a canteen exclusively being run by victims of drug and substance abuse near North Campus and is accompanied by food carts and tiffin delivery. The society has also conducted myriad events to serve the community this year. Under the umbrella of its Project Transcreations, Enactus Ramjas organised a transgender fashion show along with an LGBT pride march. It also conducted the biggest Enactus Festival in February of this year and saw a successful participation. Semi-finalists of Enactus Nationals 2016, the society has carried out more than 30 sensitisation campaigns related to drug abuse since the launch of the project.
Enactus Hindu
Conceptualised in 2014, Enactus Hindu launched its Project Veerangana in this academic session. The social endeavour aims to propagate safety ideals for all by transforming young, unemployed women into self-defence instructors. The previous social campaigns of the society include Project Shreshth and Project Oorja. Their pilot project, Shresth, transformed a group of financially dependent women from the Badli Industrial Area, Rohini into self-sufficient entrepreneurs who manufacture and market incense sticks under the brand name ‘Aanchal Aggarbatis’. Project Oorja strives to preserve environmental balance by providing clean solar lighting solutions to tackle the menace of rising carbon footprints. Under its current project, the society introduced a campaign titled ‘Be A Veerangana,’ and witnessed two months of intensive offline and online promotions, encouraging women to share instances of harassment and breaking the taboo around crimes. At Mecca 2017, the annual cultural festival of Hindu College, their team conducted ‘Road to Safety,’ a unique? simulation of the streets of Delhi, with the objective of raising awareness about simple safety measures which can come in handy in our day-to-day lives. The animal community was also served with its ‘Warmth for Paws’ initiative to provide clothes to street dogs with sweaters made from discarded woollens in the bitter cold months of December and January.
Enactus Khalsa
One of the youngest members of the Enactus community, the Khalsa chapter of the non-profit endeavour germinated in August of last year. While their pilot project is currently under development, they successfully organised an awareness campaign within the college. Titled #LetsMakeGodTalk, the students of the college were induced to deliberate upon the social sphere. On Daan Utsav, the society also organised a visit to a girls’ shelter home and spent a day there with the kids playing games and interacting with them.
Enactus Ramjas College
Enactus Hindu College
Enactus SGTB Khalsa College
Enactus Miranda House
An active member of the social community, Enactus Miranda House has been the launching pad of four successful initiatives since its inception in 2011. Namely Project Zaffran, Project Jazba, Project Tarang, and Project Daryaft, the society aims to boost the issues of financial dependency amongst the women community, strengthening the standing of acid-attack survivors, developing environmentally complementing products, and enhancing the tourism sector, respectively. This year, the society organised a seminar – ‘Astitva’ in relation to Project Jazba, along with a seminar with Mr. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai on the occasion of Heritage Day under Project Daryaft. The annual festival of Enactus Miranda House – Impressa 2017, was organised with the theme ‘Breaking Stereotypes,’ and witnessed events such as open mics and movie screenings. In addition to organising a waste collection drive, the society has also conceptualised an internship programme ranging from the Campus Ambassador Program to Synergy, the Winter Internship Program to propagate ideals of entrepreneurship and initiative.
Enactus SRCC
Perhaps the oldest member of the Enactus community, Enactus SRCC has been doing pertinent projects for a decade now. Some of their recent projects are as follows. Project Life On Wheels facilitates micro-credit for rickshaw pullers by enabling them to own their rickshaws. Project Aahaar is an initiative to rehabilitate underprivileged women by providing them with culinary training. Project Azmat was an endeavour to liberate manual scavengers by providing them with a sustainable source of livelihood through a development of a micro-enterprise and to facilitate construction of proper toilet systems. Project Sattva was an initiative to bring efficiency in India’s dairy sector by the rearing of high yielding cattle and value addition to milk through a mutually beneficial relationship. Project Asbah aimed at providing clean drinking water to rural households through the development and marketing of clay-based water filters produced by a community of potters. With projects like these, Enactus SRCC secured the second runners-up position at the Enactus Nationals 2016. They have received the prestigious KPMG grant and Walmart grant in recognition of the progress made by their projects.
Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Since its formation in 2014, Enactus SBSC has come a long way with three socially relevant and inspiring initiatives. Their first project, Project Karva aimed at the upliftment of women. Under Project Roshni, visually impaired people were taught how to make candles as an attempt to become independent as well as self-sustaining. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they conceptualised their third project, Project Aahar, which seeks to provide affordable as well as hygienic food to people in need. Other than the projects, two fundraising campaigns were conducted this year. From 5th-7th October 2016, Campaign Umeed took place where members sold bookmarks and notebooks made by the specially challenged children of Deepalaya School. On the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh under Campaign Anghaar, candles made by the visually impaired to the students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were sold. Campaign Sparsh addressed the women residing at Anand Parbat and introduced them to NGO GOONJ’s ‘My Pad’ – a kit that contains undergarments, sanitary pads, and a manual on menstrual health. They also addressed the issue of child sexual abuse as it is one of the major evils surrounding Anand Parbat through organising interactive activities for the children and showing videos that demonstrated the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
Enactus Miranda House
Enactus SRCC
Enactus SBSC
Enactus Maitreyi College
Established in 2014, Enactus Maitreyi is currently working in collaboration with the National Coalition of People Living with HIV on their third project – Project Samya. True to its name, Project Samya aims at bringing equality to women affected with HIV who are evidently socially excluded and are often forced to quit their jobs. Enactus Maitreyi’s first project, Unnayan, helped the women of Mayur Vihar to make and market a liquid dishwasher, ‘Clean Ninja’ for them to become self-reliant. They launched their second project, Swadhin in 2016, with the aim of helping the physically impaired community by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. This year the society started its own plantation drive. Other than this, Enactus Maitreyi purchased stationery items for the specially-abled students of Anukriti School, with its own funds by keeping aside INR 2 from the sale of every product. To raise funds, Enactus Maitreyi launched a fundraising campaign called,#IDidMyBit, which was conducted over a period of 2 months. A photo booth in Connaught Place was also created to raise money.
Enactus Sri Venkateswara College
Conceived in 2015, Enactus Sri Venkateswara College has been appreciated for its innovation and uniqueness of projects. The society has successfully churned out three projects, namely Project Captain Compost, Project Aushadhi, and Project CiggB. Project Captain Compost aims to provide a solution to the garbage menace in the city while uplifting the social and economic status of ragpickers at the same time, and Project Aushadhi merged the two issues of homelessness and medicinal waste. Winner of the Blue Dart Grant worth INR 40,000, the society launched Project CiggB this year which focuses on the disposal and recycle of used cigarette butts. To establish a communal outreach, they organised stalls in the fests of Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamala Nehru College among others, along with stalls and exhibitions under ‘Heartist,’ where they provided a platform for street artists to showcase their skills and sell their products. In association with ‘People for Animals’ and Enactus SRCC, Enactus SVC also set up a winter cloth collection drive in December 2016. They have also collaborated with ‘Parivartan’, the social service society of Sri Venkateswara College for interaction and skill development of slum children and organised a special event for them to celebrate Children’s Day.
Enactus Hans Raj
A cognizant member of the Enactus community, Hansraj College’s Enactus has been running four projects since its commencement in 2011. Project Lekhni has been successful in helping five women from Jhandewalan to rise from the status of victims to the masters of their lives, Project Boond seeks to solve the problem of clean drinking water for the underprivileged masses by providing them with low-cost water purifiers that run without electricity, and Project Mithaas is an endeavour aimed towards providing a stable source of income to farmers in India by encouraging them to adopt beekeeping as a practice. Enactus HRC conceptualised Project Aaangan this year to provide day-care facilities to working women of lower income strata. Winner of the Best Project for showcasing the spirit of VEER at Enactus Nationals 2016, Enactus HRC has, in addition, conducted a donation drive for Project Aangan. Aashayein’16 was an initiative for the kids of an NGO Navjyoti to help them experience the dream they wished to live. It was a small drive by Enactus Hans Raj to fulfill wishes and spark a fire in them by overcoming challenges.
Image Source: University of Delhi
