DU Archives - Page 3 of 58 - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

On 4 November 2023, Ramjas College students gathered to protest against the ad-hoc crisis in the college’s English department, expressing concern over the displacement of 8 out of 10 ad hoc professors. Their collective demand echoes a call for transparency, academic stability, and integrity within the educational framework.

In a resolute display of solidarity, students from Ramjas College’s English Department organised a gathering to protest against the displacement of 8/10 ad hoc professors of the department on Monday, 4 November, 2023. Gathering in the Eco Lawns of the college, the rally circled the campus, culminating in a demonstration at the Principal’s Office. The college administration responded by summoning police forces to contain the protest. The protest garnered support from students from various departments of Ramjas College and was endorsed by student organisations such as the Student Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students Association (AISA).

In a post shared by the Instagram handle Ramjas Reading Room, the protest called upon immediate action to address the following:

Halt Unjust Displacements
Preserve Academic Integrity
Prioritize Faculty Well-Being

Vociferous slogans and heartfelt messages were raised during the protest as student were overcome with anger and anguish amid the state of things. A student from Ramjas’ English Department, who wishes to stay anonymous, shared,

The English Department has been one of the most active departments in Ramjas. For most of these professors, teaching, while being a passion, is also a source of sustenance. They are still processing the grief of what has happened.

The protest is being held against the backdrop of the displacement of ad hoc professors from departments across colleges at Delhi University. In Ramjas College, the first department affected by this issue was the Zoology Department last year. Many have alleged that the process of interviewing, retention, and displacement of ad hoc professors is opaque, leading to highly qualified and experienced professors losing their jobs.

Utilising platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, students of Ramjas College effectively mobilised support by urging their peers and even past alumni who are working across the globe to join the cause. The protest featured images of these iconic figures, such as Tagore and Gandhi, and included books taught by the displaced teachers. The student political groups that had joined submitted a memorandum seeking transparency in the interview process and the retention of ad hoc professors.

According to our sources, the college has made no response to the students’ demands as of yet. Expressing their state of despair and hopelessness at the system, a final year student from the English Department, commented,

We have lost that last sense of connection with the department. It has become a foreign space for us; the college is a necropolis. How will we ever go back to Room No. 12, the department room? The displaced professors have shared our paintings and poems on their Instagram posts and stories. But we only know what we have lost.

Featured Image Credits: Aaryan Marcha, student at Ramjas College

Injeella Himani
[email protected]

Keep Reading

Campus Central

DU to Establish a Panel to Craft Guidelines for Review of SOL Study Material

By DU Beat December 4, 2023

Addressing the shortcomings in the learning materials, Delhi University gears up to set up a committee overseeing the review and devising a framework for SOL’s learning material.

A four-member committee consisting of the South Campus director, Campus of Open Learning director, Dean of Academic Affairs, and the head of the English department will be notified by Monday or Tuesday, the official added.

As per the PTI reports, “The committee will oversee the review of the School of Open Learning’s self-learning material and formulate guidelines for review of the preparation of study materials in the future,” says Delhi University’s South Campus Director, Shri Prakash Singh.

The decision is a response after the Academic Council presented a report of self-learning material for approval but rejected it after a council member’s attention to grammatical, factual, and plagiarism errors in the materials.

Jesus and Mary College Assistant Professor Maya John pointed out some of the errors persisting in the study materials even after the conduct of a review procedure by the School of Open Learning.

“Approximately three lakh students enrolled in the School of Open Learning use these study materials with gross factual errors. One shudders to think what these students would learn from these poor-quality study materials and what their futures would be,” John said.

The decision evokes a reminiscent reflection of the past when students led by the Krantikari Yuva protested outside the Arts Faculty of Delhi University (North Campus) in August against the University and School of Open Learning (SOL) for approving sub-standard study materials with many errors. The study materials were approved despite nine elected members of the council being against it.

The factual errors in the Political Science and Indian Politics papers had several discrepancies in both the English and Hindi versions. It encompassed inaccurate information about India gaining independence in 1945 (instead of 1947), the Indian Constitution being “formed” in 1994, and Jawaharlal Nehru’s death in 1967 (instead of 1964), among others.

In a response to PTI’s query on the problem, Payal Mago, Director of the School of Open Learning, responded by mentioning that the study materials undergo a review at different levels, including a final review by senior Delhi University professors.

The errors highlighted will be corrected in due course, she added.

Featured Image Source- Hindustan Times

Dhairya Chhabra

[email protected]

Keep Reading

DUB News

Delhi University Embraces Dual Degree Programs

By DU Beat December 4, 2023

The proposal for the dual degree programme gained approval at the academic council meeting held recently. Opposition to this decision became evident as some council members voiced their reservations.

On November 30, 2023, the Academic Council of the University of Delhi held a meeting where the decision was taken to proceed with the implementation of a dual degree system starting from the next academic session. The program will involve a combination of traditional and remote classes, giving students a chance to accumulate additional academic experience within the standard time frame. Moreover, the possibility of providing twinning degrees was also taken into discussion. A program enabling Delhi University students to pursue a degree from select foreign institutions with which the university plans to establish partnerships However, the decision has currently been deferred.

In December 2022, the university put together a committee to discuss the potential idea of twinning, joint, and dual degrees, keeping in mind the guidelines issued by the National Education Policy 2020. 11 months later, while most council members gave the proposal a thumbs up, 15 of them raised some genuine concerns. It was argued that offering students dual degrees will dilute the value of their main subject, given the full-time nature of their academic programmes, and put more strain on students and teachers alike. Former Executive Council member Abha Dev Habib pointed out that the students will benefit more from “quality education and not a bag full of degrees.” Despite the apprehensions that came to light, the resolution was approved, and starting next session, both undergraduate and postgraduate students keen on pursuing a dual degree can communicate so to their respective colleges. The proper procedure will be laid down by the university, which will include both in-person and distance-learning models, as mentioned before.

The 1016th meeting of the Academic Council of the University of Delhi, under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh, also discussed the number of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD admissions that were made this academic year, the few modalities made in the syllabus for the current academic session, the new orphan quota, and the awarding of a total of 6115 promotions to professors of the university.

Featured image credits: www.du.ac.in

Lakshita Arora

[email protected]

Keep Reading

Campus Central

Atishi Points to “Irregularities” in 12 DU Colleges in Letter to Centre

By DU Beat December 3, 2023

Delhi Education Minister, Atishi, has pointed out certain excesses undertaken in 12 DU colleges in a letter to the Union Education Minister.

Delhi Education Minister, Atishi, on Friday, wrote to the Union Education Minister, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, underlining “irregularities” in the administration of 12 DU Colleges funded by the Delhi government.

She expanded upon these irregularities citing instances of procedural lapses in appointments, creation of unauthorised posts, and salaries in crores being paid to staff who were never appointed through established procedures.

Other such instances listed include the misappropriation of funds from the Grant-in-aid (GIA) which also involves the salary to the GIA-General. Atishi alleged that these oversights occurred despite crores of funds lying in the corpus of these colleges. Further instances of arbitrary and irregular payments towards sanitation and security services as well as allotment of Canteen and other contractual services were flagged.

She expressed that since these colleges are directly affiliated with DU, they are not answerable to the Delhi government for “judicious” utilisation of funds. She thus proposed two possible courses of action. The 12 colleges could either be merged under the purview of the Delhi government or the centre could assume full control and responsibility of these institutions in which case the Delhi government would no longer allocate funds to these institutions.

This comes in light of the release of Rs 100 crore by the Delhi government earlier in June this year out of the sanctioned Rs 400 crore allocated by the government in 2023-24 to these institutions.

The education minister thus took this opportunity to highlight the issue as being symptomatic of a larger pattern of financial malpractices and oversight.

There was no immediate reaction from the University.

Featured Image Credits : PTI

Deevya Deo

[email protected]

Keep Reading

Campus Central

Delhi University Proposes a 10-marks ‘Special Moderation’ to Allow Students to Finish Their Course

By DU Beat December 3, 2023

For students who fail in a single paper and are unable to finish their degree, Delhi University (DU) will look into offering a special moderation of up to 10 marks. Students who demonstrate good explanations for their failure on the papers will be eligible for this relief.

Delhi University has proposed a unique arrangement that would allow students to finish their degrees even if they have exhausted all attempts but were unable to pass one paper. Students will be granted a final moderation of 10 marks irrespective of any grace marks already applied. This proposal will be presented before the DU’s Academic Council on Thursday.

The document further states that since the implementation of National Education Policy Undergraduate Curriculum Framework-2022, students have been able to get a diploma or a certificate for their respective course if they were unable to complete their degree within the specified period of seven years. Delhi University allows students a span period of 6 years, starting from the year of admission, to complete all the course requirements for the degree. The university has proposed to set up a committee to evaluate requests from students who have exceeded their span period. It states

“The situation becomes particularly challenging for students who have passed all course requirements except for a single paper due to the adverse circumstances faced by student/s preventing them from completing the degree,”

The document was prepared by Ajay Arora, the officer on special duty at the examination branch. He added,

“Earlier if someone couldn’t complete the honours programme, they could only be given a BA programme degree. As semester and other systems came in, there was a need for a system to give students another chance. This special relief may be extended even to students who have exhausted all their opportunities for special chance examinations as granted/ as may be granted by the university’’

The university has also decided to prepare a special proposal for students who elapsed their span period during the COVID 19 pandemic, taking into account the challenges posed to the students such as limited access to resources, and several health-related concerns causing significant stress to the students due to their academic situation.

“Providing them with this opportunity will contribute to their mental well-being and relieve their academic burden” the document stated.

This provision will be discussed by a committee of academic advisors, faculty and administrators to evaluate such requests. Students who wish to avail this have submit an application clearly stating valid reasons for span period extension, the proposal stated.

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Saanvi Manchanda

[email protected]

Keep Reading

Editorials

How to Know Your Reporting is Good 101

By Siddharth Kumar December 1, 2023

This week, let’s talk about transparency in journalism. Have you read our pieces and felt upset at us for reporting on certain events? This piece is for you!

Ah, DU, you’ve dealt with us for more than 15 years now. It’s only fair I let you in on an inside joke DU Beat has: “you know you’ve written a good report if everyone involved is mad at you.” You would be shocked to know that most of our dispute based reports generate criticism from all parties involved, usually because we didn’t blatantly favour them. To us that shows quality and unbiased reporting – the hallmark of a well written report!

When you read a good DU Beat investigative or report, you’ll notice there is an abundance of operating words like “alleged”, “reported” and “claimed”. “The students alleged that the administration allegedly turned them away and claimed that their requests were denied.” is a sentence you may very well see us write in an article one day. Now, this is not because we simply love using these words to mirror national newspapers. In fact – as most of Delhi University’s journalism students will tell you – the overuse of such words largely stems from basic journalistic ethics.

You see, when it comes to investigative pieces or reports on different events, we are not always present at the scene to have a firsthand account of what happened. Our knowledge of what may have transpired in the situation we’re reporting on largely comes from a variety of quotes from people that were present during these events – sometimes even at fests that we happen to be covering. But if we weren’t there, how could we possibly know if what we are told is the entire truth? Moreover, in cases of disputes and arguments, how could we possibly know which party’s version of events is the truth? Since we obviously can’t blindly trust the words of everyone we speak to, the use of these operating words becomes necessary.

It is important for us as an organisation to make it perfectly clear that the narrative of events we talk about is not ours but made up of claims from other people who do not represent DU Beat. To our readers, it is important that we clarify: the news does not always know the truth, it simply tells you what people involved say is the truth. Once we make this distinction between our opinion and narratives offered by third parties clear, we run into another obstacle. To explain this, let’s take the example of a dispute between a certain college society’s members and the college faculty that was covered by DU Beat in the past.

Our use of “alleged” and “claimed” upset the society members because we would not support them publicly and offer their cause credibility – something we would never do due to ethics. On the other hand, the college faculty was upset at our reporting since despite our attempts to make it clear that these views were not our own, they believed that we had publicly supported the students instead of supporting the faculty. We were essentially receiving podcast-length voice notes and calls from both sides for days! Annoying, yes, but it was a good sign that our piece was clearly not favouring any side over the other.

Amidst such calls and comments on our Instagram like “DU Beat is supporting/excusing the students (or administration, depending on whose side they’re on) blindly”, it feels like people underestimate the neutral reader. The reader is not so easily influenced. We do not want to tell you what to think of the situations we cover. We may make mistakes occasionally, but the goal remains to depict a fair and unbiased view of the situation. Processing the information we provide and creating your own opinions is something we do not hold any influence over.

That is not to say that we have never picked sides. Most recently, DU Beat as an organisation took a very vocal stance in favour of the students of IPCW after the infamous invasion of their campus during their annual fest. While our reporting and coverage remained neutral and used the same operating words, we were horrified at the events that unfolded and thus considered it important to put out a statement of support. We have our own opinions and sympathies as well, but as far as investigative articles and reports are concerned, after reading them the only opinions you should see clearly are your own. In other words, let’s not shoot the messenger.

Image source: Santa Cruz Sentinel

Siddharth Kumar

[email protected]

Keep Reading

DUB News

DU Students Report ‘Glitch’ on Samarth Portal

By DU Beat November 29, 2023

A ‘glitch’ on the Samarth portal caused chaos as 300 students faced hindrance when it came to submitting forms, leading to frustration among the student body which has often faced issues in accessing DU’s online portals with ease.

Around 300 University students complained about a ‘glitch’ while navigating the Samarth portal, about the subject/course mapping feature, which acted as a disruption while filling out examination forms

Addressing the issue in a report by PTI, Ajay Arora, O.S.D. (Examination) stated that the issue was being faced due to the students incorrectly filling in the enrolment numbers. He further stated that the DUCC will look into the matter and would have to manually correct the enrolment number which might take a day or two to rectify, as the administration would have to cross-check the details of those students with their bank account details.

Students enrolled in postgraduate courses like M.A., M.Sc., and M.Com., including visually impaired students, encountered difficulties while selecting their courses or subjects on the portal.

The students continued to face such persistent obstacles despite a deadline for submission, previously set as 24 November by the Examination Branch.

India Today reported that Maya John, an assistant professor at Jesus Mary College, expressed deep concern over the difficulty faced by the students.

She brought attention to the fact that those students had been running from pillar to post since October, seeking the help of various offices in order to fill out their examination forms on the portal. She also emphasised the lack of assistance and coordination among different department offices which caused distress among students.

Although the University has extended the examination form submission deadline to 5 December, John in her letter, emphasised the urgency to resolve the issue and urged Vice- Chancellor, Yogesh Singh to revise the deadline and address the lingering subject/course mapping issue on the portal.

Expressing the need for immediate action, John stressed that the university ought to look into these complaints and the recurring issues with the Samarth portal, to ensure that students don’t face such problems in the future.

Featured Image Credits: Devesh for DU Beat

Gauri Garg

[email protected]

Keep Reading

DUB News

Start of the Hindu Studies Centre in DU: Ramayana, Mahabharata a Part of Curriculum

By DU Beat November 25, 2023

The Hindu Studies Centre has been inaugurated at Delhi University with a ‘Havan-Yagya’. It has both major and minor options for students.

The Centre for Hindu Studies has been added as a recent addition to the University of Delhi. It comes with a flexible programme where students can select minors according to their own choice. If students wish to choose a minor along with their major Hindu Studies, they will be able to study subjects like Computer, Commerce and even Political Science. Among these subjects, subjects related to Gandhi, M N Rai, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Kautilya, Manu Smriti will also be taught giving the students a holistic picture.

The Centre for Hindu Studies provides Master programmes with 60 seats on offer and nearly 500 students had applied for those limited seats. Students must have completed their Undergraduate Course to apply for admission in the Centre for Hindu Studies. Dr. Shriprakash Singh, Director of DU’s South Campus has confirmed that the programme also contains papers like Sanskrit, English and communication skills. He also confirms that the entire syllabus of UGC has been maintained only with certain additions. Dr. Prerna Malhotra, co-director for the Centre of Hindu Studies has confirmed that the admission process has officially ended.

An orientation session will be conducted post which classes will be conducted a few days later. Dr. Shriprakash Singh also mentioned that the syllabus for Hindu Studies is quite vast in order to give students proper career opportunities. The syllabus of Hindu Studies is divided into Major papers and Minor papers. In the Minor syllabus, there is a paper on Ramayana, one on Mahabharata and one on Western Method. Compared to that, in Major, one paper is on Bhagwat Geeta and another is on Upanishad. The main focus is on the Major papers with Hindu texts with extensive lectures and detailed study material. Dr. Shriprakash Singh also added that Hindu religious texts are being taught in the major because that is the core of the study centre. University of Delhi has also released the academic calendar for the Centre and the wait is now only for the classes to start.

Featured Image Credits: IAFN

Priyanka Mukherjee

[email protected]

Keep Reading

News

Delhi University Raises Concerns by Relocating Health Centre to Basement

By DU Beat November 17, 2023

Concerns have been expressed regarding the decision to temporarily relocate DU’s health centre to the Umang Bhawan basement, as it is deemed unfit for the proper functioning of a medical facility.

The University of Delhi recently decided to renovate its health centre on its North Campus. While that process continues, the centre has been temporarily shifted to the basement of Umang Bhawan at the Law Faculty. This decision has raised multiple concerns among the teaching and non-teaching staff.

Many have stated that the basement has no proper sunlight and ventilation and is therefore not fit to run a health centre in. Staff members at the World University Service (WUS) have urged DU to reconsider this choice. WUS is the Geneva-based non-governmental organisation that commissioned the health centre in 1955. The centre assists 600-800 patients every single day. Approximately 7,200 superannuated university employees, 18,500 permanent employees with their dependents, as well as various resident and non-resident students, avail themselves of the services of this health centre.

In addition, all staff (teaching and non-teaching) are members of the centre and contribute to it as an insurance charge. It is therefore being said that the university needs to show more responsibility and concern for the health of all members instead of taking a decision that neglects it.

The inadequacy of available provisions, such as limited toilet facilities and the low height of the building, has raised concerns about the potential spread of infections and diseases in such an environment.

Both students and teachers utilise the facility for regular and emergency purposes. With classes functioning on other floors, the environment won’t be right for unwell people,”

-Seema Das, a member of the Executive Council.

A worried teacher conveyed concern by saying that it’s not wise to make the health centre function from a basement, especially since the construction of the renovated one could take multiple years. A medical facility ought to follow some rules regarding hygiene and safety that are being ignored by the university.

Featured image source: Mint

Arshiya Pathania

[email protected]

Keep Reading

DUB News

Hindu College Suspends Students for ‘Indiscipline’ During Election

By DU Beat November 6, 2023

As a result of the protests and hunger strike staged in September, about 10 students have been suspended for one to four months.

Back in September, Hindu College made news when over 30 nominations for the positions of its ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Central Councillors’ of the students’ union were rejected. The administration had cited low attendance as the reason, but students called it a purposeful ‘attack on democracy’. Chaos ensued as multiple protests and a hunger strike were staged by the students. About 10 students have been suspended as a result of engaging in ‘indiscipline’ during the events of this election.

The suspensions are to last one to four months, and students will be able to rejoin college after giving an undertaking stating that in the future, they will not partake in the “destruction of institutional property” and not cause “disruption in any manner of academic functioning”. Principal Anju Srivastava has said that the discipline committee of the college took this decision after investigating the issue for several days and that the decision was based on documentary evidence, which found the particular students guilty of offences of damage to college property and disruption of academics.

Further, she added that this action was not taken as a result of protesting by the students but the indiscipline that accompanied it, and that the students would need to provide a written undertaking, promising that such acts of ‘indiscipline’ will not be repeated in the future. One such act of indiscipline that was ordered into inquiry, was that the students didn’t allow the principal to exit her office during one of the protests. However, the rustications are for a finite period, depending on every individual’s level of involvement.

An explanation regarding the reason for their suspension was provided to the rusticated students. The email, dated October 27, read, “Consequent upon explanation furnished by you and proofs of your involvement shown through photos and videos in the possession of the Disciplinary Resource Committee (DRC)… found that your conduct during 15-18 September 2023, falls under the following acts of gross indiscipline under Ordinance XV-B (Maintenance of discipline among students of the university)… willful destruction of institutional property… causing disruption in any manner of the academic functioning of the University System.”

Read also: Rise in DU Law Applications

Featured image source: CNBC News

Arshiya Pathania

[email protected]

Keep Reading