College funding Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) faced a severe fund crunch as the year 2019 came to an end due to limited resources which also affected the recruitment of new staff.

Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC), established in 2011, gave students an opportunity to envision a trans-disciplinary approach. CIC offers three courses: B.Tech and Mathematical innovation, M.Sc in Mathematical Education and B.A. in Humanities and Social Science. These courses are uniquely designed for students to work on several projects with an aim to offer constructive solutions to problems faced by people in real life.

Professor Yogesh Tyagi was appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi (DU) in 2016 and according to the students and the Faculty, the functioning of the centre changed completely. With a cap of INR 15000, students were asked to go through a lengthy Government e- marketplace (GEM) procedure. The new regulations imposed within CIC are hampering the projects of students. Many students complained about having to negotiate for items on GEM, and if the items were not available, the students were not left with many alternatives to turn to.

Image Credits: The Times of India

Students mentioned various other problems that they had to face when the new regulations were introduced in CIC after Dinesh Singh’s tenure ended as the Vice Chancellor. Although, there are no serious constraints on funds for humanities projects, the other two courses may require some modifications. CIC projects are solely based in Delhi-NCR which may overlook real issues faced by people outside the targeted area.

Former CIC Director, M. Chaturvedi had previously commented on CIC’s dire need for growth and modification in the curriculum. He had added that the projects formulated by students could help the centre in earning a considerable amount of revenue. With a fund crunch, students and staff in solidarity believe that modifications within the centre must be introduced. However, there has been no official word from the officials of the University regarding this issue.

Feature Image Credits- DU Beat Archives

Suhani Malhotra

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It seems that the University of Delhi’s feud with the Delhi government is here to stay for a while longer, albeit more serious than before. The Delhi Government has ordered to continue with the decision to freeze funds for the 28 colleges it funded either partially or fully, till the time governing body is not appointed by the Varsity.

Furthermore, the government has asked Delhi University not to conduct recruitments for ad hoc or permanent teachers, or make any severe changes in the administration staff until this issue is resolved. This to-and-fro of documents has been going on since October last year, but has gained momentum only recently. On 31st July, Manish Sisodia, the Delhi Minister of Education directed a stop to funds inflow for the 28 colleges it funds, and in a tweet he claimed that it was a “deliberate and malafide attempt to delay formation of governing bodies by DU”. On 14th August, the list of governing bodies was finally sent by DU, but was rejected by the government citing procedural grounds.

The governing body of a college comprises of five members from the university panel, five members from the government, two university representatives, two representatives of the college faculty and the college principal. The Varsity recommended just 5 candidates for governing body to the government, whereas it was supposed to send a pool of names out of which the government had the liberty to select any five. Since the options weren’t provided for the same, the government has given DU stern warnings to not “infringe upon its rights” of nominating members. At this stage, the government reportedly wants DU to accept the nominations cleared by them and has sent the university a fresh list.

Since February 2017, the list concerning these recommendations has been tweaked with minor changes, edited because of change in format and rejected on procedural grounds. If the government plans to pursue its impromptu decision to halt funds, the 28 colleges that it funds will soon sway in an array of confusion and chaos.

Feature Image Credits: Manish Sisodia’s Twitter Handle

Vijeata Balani

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