Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Tag

students

Browsing
DUB Speak

International Students’ Day Special: Student Activism

By

As Indian universities and schools continue to suffer due to the lack of freedom of expression and the absence of student safety norms, students need to be at the forefront of the movement of change. This International Students’ Day, we, the students, should understand the significance of student activism in everyday issues.  

The 17th of November is the International Students’ Day, an international observance of student activism. The date commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi attack on the University of Prague after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal, the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the execution of nine student leaders, the transfer of over 1200 students to concentration camps, and the closing of all Czech universities and colleges. The day was first observed in 1941 in London by the International Students’ Council (which had many refugee members) in accord with the Allies, and the tradition has been kept up by the International Union of Students, which has been pressing with National Unions of Students in Europe and other groups to make the day an official United Nations observance.

The Athens Polytechnic uprising against the Greek military junta of 1973 came to a climax on November 17, with a violent crackdown and a tank crushing the gates of the university. The Day of the Greek Students is today among the official student holidays in Greece. The 1989 Prague demonstrations for International Students Day helped spark the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day is now marked as the official holiday in both the Czech Republic (since 2000, thanks to the efforts of the Czech Student Chamber of the Council of Higher Education Institutions) and  Slovakia.

How is all of the above relevant to the present day? After Jawahar Lal University starting the nationalism debate, Rohit Vemula’s Death in Hyderabad Central University, Ramjas College stone pelting at University of Delhi, call for freedom in Banaras Hindu University,  pro-azaadi slogans being raised in Jadavpur University, Ryan International School killings raising apprehensions about school safety norms, distortion of state board’s school history syllabi in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, saying ‘Vande Mataram’ for the roll call in a school in Madhya Pradesh and many more similar incidents, I have a question to ask – in the wave of polarisation, are we safe? Do we actually have the freedom to express ourselves in any manner as we want without offending the cultural notions of nationalism in our country? Or will all of us be subject to trolls and rape threats if we put forward our opinion?

Debate, dissent, and dialogue are non-negotiable in places of education. Antonio Gramsci accorded the highest value to critical thinking of students more than their employability, knowledge, and skills. Amidst the culture of commercialisation of education, are students losing their right to ask questions and  to move freely in and across campuses? Enlightened students have to be the torchbearers of change and their courageous voice of dissent plays a crucial role in a healthy democracy. The big squeeze on civil society and on cultures of protest needs to be freed and we have to make sure that the state respects not only the articulation of politics of ‘vote’ but also the politics of ‘voice’.

Once in 1975, student movements in Bihar led by J.P. Narayan opposed the autocratic emergency regime and restored democracy in India. We have ample examples from India’s independence struggle to show us what aware students and citizens can achieve. To embark on the spirit of enlightenment, this International Students’ Day, all of us should take examples from the world as well as national history and believe in the power of student activism to bring a change.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Atlantic

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

Qui-Vive: Students’ Discounts Around You

By

Being a student has its perks – be it in tourists’ places or on various airlines. So, get acquainted with a few privileges you can acquire being a student and make the most out of the opportunities.

With proper documentation, you can indeed enjoy the perquisites of being a student irrespective of whether you are in the first year of middle school or the final year of college. Take it easy on your little pockets and explore the places that can help you cut costs as students.

1. Discount Cards!

The University of Delhi has schemes under which you can get discount cards to help you save 20% to 50% on your expenditure. With an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), you can avail of great discounts all across the world on airfares, hotels, restaurants, magazines, cafes, multiplexes and game ranges. The Paisa Card, Taf Bazaar Card and Desconto are some cards you can apply for- to avail discounts at various eateries, bookstores, apparel stores, gyms and beauty parlours in Delhi NCR.

2. Apple Back-to-School Products

If you love Apple products, under their Back to College offer, you can get student discounts on the MacBook, iMac, iPads and even iPhones ranging between a minimum of Rs3,000 to Rs12,000.

3.  Fly With Discounts

There are students discount schemes in IndiGo Airlines and Air Asia and 50% discount schemes at both JetKonnect and Air India. Under this offer, your check-in baggage limit is increased by around 20 to 25kgs usually. The offer is only valid on economy seats. If you are studying abroad, Thomas Cook offers all US-bound flight base fares from Rs21,500, UK, and Europe from Rs9,800 and Canada from Rs23,000. Air India and other airlines like British Airlines offer free baggage allowance to students.

4. Gym Memberships

Gold’s Gym outlets across the country have a 50% off for all students. O2 gym offers an additional 5% off. Most gyms run student offers throughout the year in and around campus in DU.

5. Bus And Train Passes

Being a student has its benefits while travelling in the city as well.  In Delhi, you can get concession on a bus pass if you are a student but the Metro is yet to offer any kind of discounts. Indian Railways provide students’ concession in train tickets.

6. Courier services

You can use courier services from DHL and FedEx to send your admission applications for a flat rate of Rs890 and Rs990, respectively. To avail of this offer, you only need to carry a photocopy of your current college ID or any photo ID and address proof to verify your age. This has been specially designed for international university aspirants.

7. All Touristy

Heritage sites in most of the states have student tourist discounts. Also, special tour packages are available for college-going students at pocket-friendly prices.

 

Feature Image Credits: Yupcard

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

 

 

Keep Reading
By
Uncategorized

In Conversation with Dr. Shaik Suleman

By

Dr. Shaik Suleman is the General Manager of Overseas Education Services at EdCIL India Ltd. EdCIL is a mini-ratna government company under the Ministry of Human Resource Development which provides education consultancy services to the MHRD.

  1. Russia launched an initiative known as ‘5/100 initiative’ to boost the international faculty and students in its universities by 2020 as part of a wider plan to develop the global competitiveness of their universities.  How does the government plan to increase its institutions’ global competitiveness?

 

Indian government in the recent days is trying to enhance the standards of the premier institutions of India                  and is already inviting foreign faculty through the ‘Gyan’ program. We are progressing in this endeavour.

 

  1. According to HRD ministry’s All India Report on Higher Education 2015-16, only 45,424 foreign students were enrolled in Indian educational institutes whereas Indian students are the second largest source of international postgraduates in the UK. Are there any incentives the government plans to offer to invite more international students?

 

The official number is 45,424 students but informally more students are coming to India i.e. 1 lac students.                    Currently the government isn’t planning for any incentives but is working to generate more opportunities for                foreign students to come and study in India. At present, our premier institutions like IIMs and IITs do not have          any quota for foreign students but the government being a part of the Kasturirangan Committee is planning on            providing some quota to foreign students which will hopefully increase their number.

 

  3.  At present, roughly a third of all German students spend some time at a university outside                    Germany during their degree programme and are working to increase it to 50%, are any plans in        the pipeline for us, Indian students?

The UGC (University Grants Commission) has given directions to the universities stating that in the designing of         the curriculum there should be an ‘Industry Interaction’ like Barcelona where students attend morning classes             for theory study and in the afternoon they visit industries. Some of the deemed universities are planning for                 similar industry interaction. The government has initiated and the plans are in the initial stages, nothing has               been finalised yet.

 

  1. The University of California at Berkeley is setting up a new campus at Richmond Bay, California, where it plans to host 4-5 Asian and European universities.Has the Ministry thought of setting an Indian university in their campus?

We have not yet been given green signals regarding the same but renowned private universities of India like                 Manipal University etc. are planning to set up their campuses on foreign soils.

 

 

  1. Providing incentives and inviting more international students would strength India’s ties with their countries and greatly influence India’s image as an emerging ‘education hub’, don’t you think?

We can provide scholarships to foreign meritorious students in the fee structure etc. Other than that, quality of            education in the institutions need to be improved. Also, the communication and liaising between the                              institutions and foreign students need to be strengthened like smooth travelling, helping them in settling down            in the Indian culture and exposing them to the Indian culture and diversity. Such aspects play a major role as              well. For India to become an education hub, we need to upgrade our curriculum and provide courses with                      international validity like Big Data, Data Analytics or IOT (Internet of Things). On the other hand, we are very              strong with IT and Science field. The other courses where we are not renowned but good marketing would solve          the problem, then there is no stopping India from becoming an education hub.

Feature Image Credits : DU Beat

Prachi Mehra

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

The many issues faced by College Students

By

A college student has many definitive issues that almost all college students feel. Given below are a few such issues. Read on and let us know if you relate to any of them.

  • Perpetually broke

    If you’re a college student, you are bound to be broke. One of the biggest issues which almost all college students face is handling and dealing with finances and the going gets even rougher when you live away from home. No matter what ensues, no college kid ever has had enough money at any given point of time to go all out and spend on themselves without thinking of all the other expenses they have and doing a mental check of finances. Whenever the cash gets low, the thinking gets irrational. “Was it right to spend Rs. 30 on that rickshaw ride? Honestly, I could’ve just walked!”

  • Being politically, socially correct at all times 

    We’ve all heard the fact that when you enter college, you step into the real world. In college, you meet many new people from different walks of life. Diversity gets a whole new meaning and you realise just how different people can be from each other. In a situation like this, it’s almost impossible to not offend anyone with a joke you crack or a casual remark you pass. But, that’s just how you learn to survive outside the four walls of school.

  • Time management

    College life is so much more than just unit tests, exams and assignments. You have societies which literally suck the life out of you, internships that exhaust; which you have to straddle with academics. Time management is apparently something almost none of us understand or master. One often finds himself/herself perpetually complaining about never-ending work, sleepless nights and time that almost never is enough. The key is to not put your feet into too many boats at the same time and prevent yourself from reaching the burnout phase.

  • Socialising

    A very important aspect of College is friends. There are school friends who you have to keep in touch with, new college friends who you have to get to know better and deal with everyday, society friends, tuition mates, long lost friends and just friends left, right and centre. And there’s so much to do with them! Attend events, attend the best fests in town, explore the city, go to the famous hangout places and go to the not so famous hangout places. And that’s when the conflicts and problems arise because no one knows how to hangout with everyone and visit every place and cross every item off the bucket list and handle regular college stuff, all at the same time. (Prioritisation is the word.)

Feature image credits:
www.sovhealth.com

Akshara Srivastava
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
QWERTY

QWERTY: Must have tech for freshers in DU

By

College life is driven by a lot of factors. Although, technology is not a very major one, it helps you to keep tab on various aspects of your college life. So, here’s the first part of the list of the hardware that we think would really help you in your undergraduate journey:

  1. Smartphone 

    1
    Source: pixabey.com

With time changing more swiftly than weather, a smartphone is a must for all new fuchchas out there unless you want to get on back foot for losing out on the random WhatsApp chats and latest class time updates and last minute changes declared by your popular class representative (CR). From taking a perfect selfie to calculating your monthly expenses, your smartphone can be the gateway to the world.

 

 

 

2. Earphones

Source: www.publicdomainpictures.net
Source: www.publicdomainpictures.net

From the drum beats of the theatre society to the noises of students bunking classes, you have to face a whole new level of distractions while trying to concentrate on something in college. In this situation a good earphone can come as a great rescue in time. With a great combination of right volume and right music it has the power to shift you to a different world where you can focus on your work in hand. No doubt some awesome companies like Google, Facebook and apple have earphone vending machines on their office premises.

 

3. Power Banks

Source: wikimedia.org
Source: wikimedia.org

From waking you up in the morning for the 8:30 classes to satisfying your soul with music during break within classes, your phone works harder than you. With WhatsApp and Facebook notifications pinging up in every ten minutes your phone’s battery life is going to get tired like you at the end or even middle of the day. A good power bank can ensure that your lifeline i.e. – phone doesn’t go out of its life and make your life more difficult. Go get one, before you decide between whether to make a last call of the day or to play your favourite song.

 

 

 

Having the right hardware is just not enough. One needs to know how to use it. Else it’s just dead weight that you’re carrying. So here’s the first part of the list of apps and software that would really help you in your undergraduate journey:

  1. For Social Needs

WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat – These are the four pillars of a good social life in not just DU, but in any university across the nation. Most of you, are already on Facebook and WhatsApp. Instagram and Snapchat are the ones on which many of you still aren’t. For an all-round social life, you need to be on the other two as well. You’ll realise their importance once the fest season comes. So register yourself right now and like the DU Beat pages (Yes! That is essential for a very cool social life as well. True Story!).

4

2. For Documentation and Project Needs

Open Office & Libre Office – These three are free license office suites which will help you to do all your digital assignments, presentation, reports and projects on Laptop or PC. Microsoft Office suite is one the best but it is paid. These are the best free alternatives.

53. For Utility

Truecaller – If you have an active social life in college or you’re involved in various co-curricular activities, you’ll need to filter out the incoming calls. This app comes in handy. It’s a universal caller ID which gives you the name of the person along with some additional information. User can also block numbers, making it an excellent ‘pervert management tool for girls.

ColorNote– The app is one of the best apps for taking quick notes and messages on your phone. You can make check lists and can even pin your TODOs in the notification bar. It’s available for Android and Windows phone. Similar variants are available for Apple iPhones easily.

Pocket– The ultimate apps for bookmarks. There are various links leading to articles about plethora of things on various social networks which will resonate with your personality. This app helps you save such links so that they can be read anywhere, on any platform or device. You can even save them offline and load it later. All you need to do is save them under your pocket account.

6

We wrap up the first part of our tech list here. Stay tuned for more. Do tell us about your personal experiences with apps and software in similar categories.

Image credits: natashascrazylife.blogspot.com

Kavach Chandra and Srivedant Kar
[email protected]
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

CBCS Poll: After FYUP, has CBCS too missed the mark with students? Find out!

By

Delhi University has been famous for changing the academic systems very often. DU introduced the Four Year Under graduation Programme (FYUP) in 2013 which was subsequently rolled back in 2014, leaving the second year students under a semester system. DU introduced the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in 2015. 

The system, just a year old has invited both criticism and appreciation from all directions.

The system which was implemented in a hurry has a few loopholes to it. The introduction of CBCS has led to the liquidation of Honours course as papers under Honour courses were cut down to accommodate the Generic and AECC papers. The purpose of introducing CBCS was to provide a plethora of choices for students to choose from and study. However many colleges, don’t follow any such rule. A number of colleges have completely eliminated the ‘choice’ in the choice based credit system and only provide either a limited number of subjects to choose from or don’t provide a choice at all, thus defying the whole purpose of the system.

The papers too have polarised difficulty levels. 47.5% of the respondents who took a poll regarding CBCS admitted to not being fully satisfied with the difficulty levels of their Generic papers- which were either too easy or too difficult. Many colleges haven’t been able to adjudge the faculty requirements, which have led to less qualified faculty teaching the generic subjects and making it more burdensome on the students. 53.8% of the respondents felt that the faculty needed improvement.


There is also a general lack of seriousness and understanding of the system. There were no clear guidelines to help guide the professors and students through the syllabus and the changed curriculum leading to confusion. 49.4% respondents admitted to not taking the Generic paper as seriously as their core papers and spent less time studying for it. “The idea of studying something other than the core subject would be great if only the GE was taught properly. Vague syllabus taught half-heartedly ruins it.” says Kriti Kaur from SGTB Khalsa College


Despite having being criticized, it has its own share of positives. Some of the most significant advantages of CBCS are that it provides a well-rounded by giving students access to a more holistic approach to education with the introduction of Generic and AECC papers. In an increasingly globalized economy, employers are often on the lookout for individuals who have relatively specialized knowledge of more than one field. It also allows students to study subjects of their preference as many students are unable to pursue the course of their choice for a number of reasons, such as unrealistic cutoffs or parental pressure. In this scenario, a GE acts as a saviour for students who can finally study the subject of their preference.

College is perhaps the most crucial time of a student’s life during which he or she finally becomes a well-adjusted adult (or so we hope.) All professional settings require a basic understanding of time management and prioritisation. The addition of the GE and AECC courses therefore propels students into an environment in which they must balance three different fields of study. “I think it offers great opportunities with expansion of a holistic education. It’s a great option for people who wanted to study more than one subject in university, and my experience has been almost entirely positive with it.” says a student from Daulat Ram College

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

According to the poll, the most relevant concern of the respondents was the inadequacy and non transparency of the evaluation system, with an overwhelming majority of 88.2% claiming that the evaluation system is confusing with regard to SGPA’s and grades and has left them unhappy. “It doesn’t matter how good your internal marks were as compared to other students, you get the same grade in the subject. I think the internal marks were not taken into consideration while evaluating the grades. I would prefer the old percentage system any day as one gets to know how he/she performed in the respective subjects.” said a student from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.

“My college offers only 2 options for GE. Most students are not able to study the subjects they want to. Though there is nothing wrong with the grading system but I feel we need to understand the system better. Both the teachers and students have no idea what the grades stand for.” says Bhavya Mehta from JMC. A large number of students have rejected the system with 65.9 % respondents wanting the system to be discontinued as opposed to the 34.1% who want CBCS to continue but with rectifications.

Q. Did you find last semester's evaluation confusing?
Q. Did you find last semester’s evaluation confusing?
Q. Should grading in CBCS be replaced by percentage system?
Q. Should grading in CBCS be replaced by percentage system?
Q. Do you want CBCS to continue?
Q. Do you want CBCS to continue?

While the system was introduced with a lot of promises, students often find themselves at a slippery slope when it comes to evaluating their performance in CBCS. “The idea of integrating courses, college and universities is great but implementation was not at all upto the mark, affecting the students under this system. Thus the system seems to be a floundering one with a bleak future. The evaluation of this system is just another blunder leaving no scope for students to reevaluate their performances.”  Says Gerush Bahal from Aryabhatta College.

Feature image credits : indiatoday.intoday.in 

Akshara Srivastava

[email protected]

Vineeta Rana

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Admissions 2016

For the first time, students from Palestine apply to DU

By

Seems like DU isn’t just a favourite among the Indian youth alone, as the university has witnessed a startling rise in the number of foreign applications for Undergraduate Admissions this year!

Reportedly, more than 3000 students from 106 countries have applied to the varsity, which was recently ranked 6th in the country by the Union HRD  Ministry under the National Institute Ranking Framework.

Though a lot of hopeful foreign applicants apply to the university each year, this year has witnessed some interesting trends. Amongst the foreign applicants, two belong to the third gender while it is for the first time that applications from war-torn regions like Palestine have been received by the university.

As per official data, apart from volatile regions like Palestine and Yemen, a large number of applicants are from Tibet (around 750), followed by Nepal (around 600) and Afghanistan (around 550).

To a pleasant surprise, it has also come to light that about 20 students have applied for a certificate course in Hindi at the varsity.

While the 12th graders back home are anticipating the board results and waiting for DU applications to open, the admissions for foreign students have already closed.

DU has a five percent reservation for foreign students in each course in each college. The university officials are elated at the remarkable response. Is it a great opportunity for DU to create a niche for itself in the foreign education market slowly and steadily? You never know!

 With inputs from The Hindu 

Image credits: pilr.blogs.law.pace.edu

Riya Chhibber

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Students of Law Fac Organise Protest March Against University Authorities

By

The students of the Faculty of Law, as well as the students who are trying to take admission in the Faculty of Law, organized a huge protest march starting from the main gate of the Arts Faculty and it culminated inside the Faculty of Law. The main reason for organising this protest march was to make the University authorities aware of the malpractices that are going on with total support from the admission committee and with full guidance and support from the Dean, Faculty of Law.

There have been several cases of mental harassment as well as vulgar abuses against the existing students who have been detained due to personal biases and also against girl students who are trying to seek admission in the Faculty of Law. Several cases of students seeking admission in the Law Faculty being booed with filthy abuses have been reported. There have been several complaints regarding this from the students to DUSU. Students seeking fresh admission to the Faculty, as well as those currently enrolled, came out and joined hands, expressing their solidarity against the Dean in what has been described by some students as a “tyrannical” rule.

Current students of the Faculty have been facing constant harassment at the hands of the Dean as they have been detained on account of shortage of attendance, the stipulated requirement of which is 66%. These students spread out overall three years of the LL.B. course found themselves in these unfortunate circumstances only 4 days before the start of their end-semester examinations. When they approached the Dean and other members of the Faculty, they were humiliated, verbally abused and made to run from pillar to post. They allege that they have been detained without warning and have fallen victim to the rivalry between the Faculty and the administration. As if the testimonies of the current students did not disincentivise an admission seeker from applying to the Faculty of Law, students have been made to wait for hours on end to be able to procure and submit their LL.B. Entrance Forms in the sweltering heat. The counter to submit the forms opens an hour late and the lunch hours are flexible to the whims and fancies of the staff. Upon making a complaint, students were abused verbally and the staff did not even heed to the presence of female students and continued to use filthy language which is not expected from a faculty of their caliber.

Students, fed up with the situation, approached the DUSU Office and through its President, Shri Arun Hooda, a complaint was made. Instead of readdressing the grievances of the students, the faculty, hand in glove with the college administration, falsely framed the student leader of misconduct. The Dean’s attitude and approach has made many a student regretful of their association with the Faculty and fresh admission seekers are thinking twice before applying for admission on account of the harassment meted out to them. The protest was carried out in the Faculty premises and the students marched near Gate No.4 and a memorandum of their grievances was submitted to the University authorities. Appeal has been made by these angered student community for stringent action against the Dean and an enquiry into the issue at hand.

Keep Reading
By
News

DU Students on hunger strike due to lack of hostels

By

Hunger strikes seem to be a promising method to attract the attention of the authorities in India. Six students of University of Delhi went on an indefinite hunger strike on 23rd January, 2013. The strike was held to raise the demand for better accommodation for students outstation students complained of not having proper places to live in.

Students do find rooms outside the University in neighbouring areas, but the cost is not feasible for everyone. Many of them work part-time to arrange for the money. The monthly cost in these rooms comes to about Rs.5000 to Rs.7000, and that is excluding the cost for food. Including food, students pay anywhere between Rs.10,000 and Rs.15,000 monthly.

Students who are residents of Delhi also support the cause, saying that it is a basic necessity for students that come from outside Delhi. Girls complain that living in areas like Mukherjee Nagar and Vijay Nagar is a compromise on their safety. Out of around 1.8 lakh students, only 6,000 students are able to live in hostels. Questions have also arisen regarding the Students’ Union that it is not supporting and raising students’ issues, but is busy with its parties.

There is demand for healthy, nutritious and affordable food in the University. According to a senior DU official, the University has tied up with Indian Railways so that affordable food is available to the students in the canteens. There is also a demand for providing stipends to those students to whom the facility of hostels has not been provided.

About 400 signatures have been collected by the demand till now.

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Belling the CAT 2012!

By

The road to the IIMs and many other reputed B-schools in India starts off with the all India CAT examination. This year, over 2.14 lakh candidates registered for the exam, a growth from the 2.06 lakh forms sold last year.

The dates for CAT 2012 are scheduled between the 11th of October and the 6th of November. The exam consists of 2 sections, the quantitative ability and data interpretation section and the verbal ability and logical reasoning. Each section includes 30 multiple choice questions. Many students opt for coaching classes for the exam, with TIME, IMS and Career Launcher being popular options. “Taking classes helps to organise and structure the preparation. Instead of tackling it in a haphazard manner, they help students lay down a plan of action. It also develops a competitive spirit in you when you’re studying in a class with around 40 other MBA aspirants!”, said Randeep Mahajan, a third year BCom (Hons) student in DU.

The weeks leading up to the exam saw a flurry of tips, dos and don’ts on various websites and Facebook pages to help maximise CAT scores. Though there were not too many students appearing for the exam on the first day, those who did, gave mixed reactions. While some reported it to be an easy, typical first day paper, others complained about the difficulty of the quantitative section. The results of the exam will be announced in January, next year.

Though it remains a popular course, the craze to acquire an MBA degree has lessened considerably in the past few years. Students are no longer blindly sitting for management entrance exams simply for the sake of it. As Amogh Dhar Sharma, a third year Economics student at Hindu College puts it, “MBAs are straight-jacketed to meet the needs of the corporate sector. I’m not sure if I want to pursue such a specific degree. I would rather get some work experience and then consider it”.

Keep Reading
By