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Teachers’ Column: A Journey of Reminiscence

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As the University of Delhi (DU) wraps up its hectic admission season, DU Beat wishes to take you on a ‘Journey of Reminiscence’ with the people who make the University the best in the country: Teachers
As you find yourself at the threshold of this journey that you will remember all your life, we aim to give you a glimpse of what has been. Even though our teachers may seem very intimidating, not relatable, and often distant, it is important to remember that they once were where we currently are, they were once students. They have dealt with heartbreaks, failures, deadline submissions, college flings, and everything else we are experiencing right now. Over the years, they have accumulated this experience and bundled it up in warm smiles, reassuring glances, and occasionally in the form of strict reprimands.

These staunch personalities have been inspirational figures for the students of Delhi University, and will continue being the source of light for thousands of graduate students. Not only do they propel students towards the path of success, their life lessons have prevented students from gloating about their achievements, and being gracious about the little things. Teachers, they’re just like us!

Here are the statements of a few teachers of Delhi University who share some fond memories of their college days and give valuable messages to the incoming batch of 2018-19.

“I have had the pleasure of studying in both the North and South campuses of DU. Few of the fondest memories from my college days are associated with the badminton courts of South Campus and the cafes in Kamla Nagar. DU sure has changed over the years and one of the most striking features is the makeover from rickety U-Specials to the swanky Metro rides which all of us enjoy today, but the heart and spirit of the varsity is still the same. DU occupies a significant place in the academic and socio-cultural scene in the country. That will not change for many decades to come.”

-Prof. Parikshit Sirohi

Campus Law Centre

“This University provides a platform where students from the length and breadth of our country can design their dreams and decide their futures, while creating a beautiful tapestry of culture. Each college is a microcosm with its unique opportunities and challenges and I wish to see students overcome those challenges and seize those opportunities. Academic rigor aside, DU is a cultural gold mine. You must extract as much as you can!”

-Dr. Saleem Mir

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Cluster Innovation Centre

“College memories are the sweetest memories that I cherish. In my first year our class had decided to bunk a particular lecture; as we were not prepared with our readings. Though we bunked the lecture but our leave was cancelled because of hostellers. I still remember how much we regretted our decision. College provides you with a lot of opportunities; make the maximum use of it. Stay focused, be member of societies that interest you. Go for an education which encompasses the holistic development of an individual and not just awards you with a degree at the end of three years. Hard work, dedication, and sacrifice are the keys to success.”

-Dr. Shachi Chawla

Department of Political Science

Daulat Ram College

“I did my graduation from LSR and I’ve spent some of my best moments in the college canteen. The Paneer Dosa with extra sambar on offer used to fill our days with pleasure. My class used to be an epitome of diversity. I still treasure the Manipuri Lungi that my friend from Manipur gifted me. DU is the place to be in if you want a well-rounded experience of college life. So enjoy each day, be it good or bad. You’ll cherish the good days and learn from the bad ones.”

-Prof. Sonali Chitalkar

Department of Political Science

Miranda House

“There is always something that stands out about each student. A few of them are perennially hungry and always show up to class with a bowlful of maggi while others stumble in their pyjamas for the early morning class, still groggy with sleep. The first day of college is your first step towards autonomy. Do not worry about your appearance. You don’t have to look like a student who has stepped out of a Karan Johar film. Wear comfortable clothes and a friendly smile. Here’s a pro tip, bring a few extra pencils or pens. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to break the ice with your classmates if you have an extra pen to share.”

-Prof. Garima Yadav

Department of English

Shaheed Bhagat Singh College

“During my college days, Valentine’s day had just emerged as a fad. As my friend and I attended our lectures that day, our fresh-in-college rebellious selves scribbled notes to each other, planning our coup d’état from the double lecture by sneaking out from the side windows. Owing to my horrible aiming skills, one of the balls of paper landed directly at the Professor’s desk. Incidentally, I secured highest marks in that paper and am still in touch with the said Professor. DU has much more to offer than just fashion, hip cafes, and politics. The hallmark of this institution is the vibrant spaces it creates for learning outside classrooms.”

-Prof. Rachita Mittal

Department of English

Lady Shri Ram College for Women

“Before anything else, the fresher’s must know that they are learning in an environment with zero judgment. In DU, you are safe to make mistakes. I understand that learning from mistakes isn’t always the best way, but sometimes it’s the only way. Second, even teachers are always learning. Students need to know that we are neither above nor beneath them. If we learn together, we’ll make a terrific progress. My fondest memory of teaching in this University is associated with the care I’ve received all these years. Every year on my birthday, my students get me a cake, sing me the ‘Happy Birthday’ song, and embellish the walls of the classroom with birthday decor.”

-Prof. Dhani Ram

Department of Commerce

Ramjas College

“College life is marked by a lot of freedom, so the students should make the most of it keeping in mind their limits. College life has a lot to offer to freshers: there are college societies, trips, and the eventual exam fever. I would just say that learn, grow, and groom yourself in the three years of college life.”

-Ms. Saloni Arora

Department of Commerce

Jesus and Mary College

Our professors happen to be a fascinating bunch of people. Having dedicated a fair share of their lives to academia and learning, they are able to think dynamically and creatively. Being surrounded by students, specifically the crème de la crème of students in the country, in a varsity that is the hot-bed of student politics, gives them a rare kind of insight. Their lessons and words of wisdom, both inside and outside the classroom are precious and deserve to be cherished. These snippets of knowledge come from a place of great experience and a fundamental desire to create change and are therefore, extremely valuable. The role of academia in the creation of a free-thinking society can never be over-estimated. It is easy to fear and be intimidated by our professors by virtue of their age and experience. In such moments, it is crucial that we look back at these anecdotes full of candour, vulnerability, and youthful mistakes, and remember that they too were once young, falliable, and insecure like we are.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat.

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

Meher Gill

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Remnants from School: Teachers’ Day Celebrations

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Those annual celebrations for teachers which brimmed with alacrity and joy are still safely tucked away in our memory buckets. Here’s a trip down the lane of fond recollections!

As another year of college begins and verges on mid-semester culmination, the month of September hinges itself to the bountiful school memories. The grand affair and the invigorating bustle which circumvented the Teachers’ Day celebrations were the little fragments of joy the month offered. While the festivities may vary across colleges and departments, the momentum of the ‘then’ and the ‘now’ is strikingly apparent.

People say a lot of things about leaving school. Theories about lifelong school friends and nostalgic visitations always surface, but the one aspect that holds unparalleled importance is the warmth of the teachers who have been an integral part of the past few years. Their constant encouragement and belief in our abilities makes them all the more amazing.

As if to pay tribute to this unwavering support, the celebration which followed Teachers’ Day was an amalgamation of efforts and gratitude. The fact that the day was not to be spent studying and instead invested to laud the harbingers of education added to this spirited enthusiasm. Glimpses of getting gifts or cakes or cards for the teachers often visit us during these sweet remembrances. While some students took the official mantle, and handled the preparations for the event, the others managed to bring smiles in their own little ways.

Dressing up as our favourite teachers and performing the waltz of teaching was the tradition we all cherished and practiced without fail. The role reversal which took place allowed the amusement to evolve into respect and gratitude for each other as well. The wonderful portrayal of teachers was often coupled with an array of cultural acts. Weeks of preparation into producing that final show to express love and appreciation managed to accumulate the major chunk of memories. Friendships evolved, talents discovered, and team spirit redefined were the resplendent products of this period of groundwork.

Beyond the storm of activity that dawns the school on this day, an underlying vibe of inspiration and respect ran wide across every sector of the school. The day seemed to accentuate the perseverance of our dear gurus, and allowed our hearts to purely adulate and revere the sincere efforts every teacher brings with him or her. The need to say ‘thank you’ peaked, for the reasons were so many and the times said were unfortunately few. Thank you, for being there for us at every step of the way, as witnesses to our growth. Thank you for loving us regardless of our flaws. Thank you for all the warmth and wisdom you’ve shared with us throughout the years. Thank you for portraying so many roles at once with perfection. Thank you for always being wonderful; because of you, we like the people we are today.

Here’s wishing all the wonderful teachers a very happy Teachers’ Day!

 

Feature Image Credits: Jagran

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

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News

Javedkar Announces that Conducting Research for Teachers is Not Compulsory for Promotion

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The Union Human Resource Development Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar was addressing a gathering at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College at a programme on higher education, organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasanga (ABRSM).

Mr. Javadekar, on Saturday, said college teachers will no longer have to compulsorily conduct research to be eligible for promotions. Instead, they can choose to engage in a community or student-related activity, based on which they will be assessed.

“We are going to do away with the mandatory clause of research for college teachers seeking promotions,” Javadekar said. “An official announcement in this regard will follow soon. Instead of that, I want teachers to be engaged in student activity. We will make one community activity or student activity mandatory,” he added.

Mandatory research for college teachers has brought down the quality of research, Javadekar said. The research will continue to remain mandatory for university professors who guide M Phil and Ph.D. scholars.

Mr. Javedkar addressed the curse of “ad-hocism” prevalent in DU and promised “completing the process of regular appointments within a year.” He also insisted that long serving ad-hoc teachers compete in the recruitment process.

He promised that the 7th Pay Commission recommendations would be implemented for the teaching community “very soon.”

Some of the points of his speech ranged the bell of concern in the mind of teachers. He has made up his mind to introduce compulsory student feedback in API calculations for promotions. He has insisted to linking funding of institutions to performance. He made up his mind to introduce “graded Autonomy” for institutions. He has threatened to shut down the colleges that are not able to perform well as per NAAC and NIRF. He has made up his mind that Grant Funding of Institutions has to be replaced by Loan Funding through HEFA.

ABSRM, which has contributed an NDTF presidential candidate for the DUTA election welcomed the speech but DTF’s candidate is skeptical about the speech. He believes there should have been questions on Mr. Javedkar’s speech and should have tried making government more accountable.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

 

Sandeep Samal

[email protected] 

 

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Delhi University Challenges Delhi High Court order on employees’ pension

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The University of Delhi has decided to challenge a Delhi High Court Order in the Supreme Court, which directed the University to grant monthly pension to over 300 teachers.

The decision to challenge the order was taken on Saturday, April 29th, 2017 in a meeting called to discuss issues centered around general provident fund (GPF), monthly pension, cumulative provident fund (CPF) and lump sum money at retirement for teachers. Issues around the absorption of ad-hoc teachers as permanent faculty, promotions and problems of physical education teachers were also discussed during the meeting that lasted for around 10 hours, as per a council member, who attended the same.

According to a Council member, Rajesh Jha, the decision to challenge the order was taken despite strong dissent from the members present. “We also submitted a statement of concerns over pension issues signed by five council members during the meeting,” he added.

Nandita Narain, the president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) told the media about the huge legal expenses and around a decade long litigation period the employees had to struggle through in order to earn the bench division litigation. The HC order challenge has been dissented against by a large number of employees of the University, and are dissapointed by the “callous approach” of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), added the DUTA President.

A dharna was also organised by the DUTA members outside the Vice Regal Lodge, the venue for the meeting, for voicing their concerns around the issue.

 

Feature Image Credits: Flickr

Priyal Mahtta
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

This Teachers’ Day, to all those who’ve taught me…

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teachers day by Naman Sehgal

This week I was asked by my editor if I had any opinions on Teachers’ day and how it impacted my life.  At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to write about this, but after thinking about it for a couple of hours, I agreed. The thought of embarking on the nostalgic experiences related to all the teachers of my life, motivated me to explore this subject in detail. Here is what I came up with –

Teacher, the word itself is mostly used to describe people who taught you in school or college.  They are teachers, but we often ignore a huge crop of species who have taught us the teeny weeny intricacies of life, with just their presence around us. Here are a few who never got the title of a teacher but deserve it without a doubt:

 

1) Your parents and relatives –  

Who taught you to walk? Who taught you to be yourself? Your parents! Your grandparents taught you to respect your parents and they often taught you about certain ethics of life which you could never get from others. Even your closest relatives have something to offer to you from their kitty of experiences.


2) The wrong decision –

Every decision is subjected to a result. Every result is either positive or negative. If your result is unfavorable, then what you’ve eventually learnt is that you weren’t quite ready for the opportunity. It means, you should try it again, with a bit more precision in mind and hard work in actions.

 

 

3) The paw –

Loyalty and kindness are important ethics of life that ‘Shiro’ can teach you with the simple wag of her tail, and ‘Puss in Boots’ could teach you with the brushing of his cheeks against your leg. In fact there is so much more you can learn from the unconditionally loving furball sitting next to you.

 

4) Mother Nature –

Have you ever sat at the edge of a cliff, stood on the terrace or lied on the beach during sunrise? If you have, you are bound to learn about warmth, punctuality and other subjective feelings that the universal teacher teaches each and every kid free of cost.

5) Music, literature and art –

Songs and lyrics can teach you different things, like literature. Some of it ends up being cheesy while majority of it is inspirational, a reflection of the society and so much more. Authors, poets, and manuscripts have so much to share, so much to teach.

And then there are teachers who explain the intricacies of the above mentioned relationships to the fresh mind which has to digest the material required to prosper in life as a good human being. There are quite a few others whose lessons are equally informative and interactive. So this teacher’s day make sure you wish your teachers. All of them.

Graphic by Naman Sehgal for DU Beat.

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DU introduces awards for Foundation Course teachers

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Delhi University authorities under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh are leaving no stone unturned to make the much criticised Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) gain acceptance among teachers. As a result, DU has introduced “Teaching Excellence Awards” so as to accolade teachers who have persistently worked to make Foundation Courses more interactive and interesting.

Teaching Excellence Awards shall be given to three teachers in each Foundation Course.  The award will comprise a fully funded study tour to one of Delhi University’s partner universities abroad (University of Edinburgh, Scotland, King’s College, London, Open University, UK, universities in Norway, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand) for a period of approximately 10 days.  The aim is to make teachers learn the good practices of these universities and further implement them at University of Delhi for teaching Foundation Courses and bring DU at par with international standards.

The award is based on multiple assessment aspects including class preparation, knowledge domain, communication skills, rapport with students, mentorship of projects, technology skills, evaluation methods and student feedback.

Teachers require to file their nominations with a 10-minute video recording of them teaching, evaluation and teaching methods used, five citations of student feedback and recommendation from one referee. These elements with other documentation need to be submitted by 30th April, 2014.

The application forms will be examined to ensure information provided by the applicant stands true. Subsequently all the eligible applications will be judged by a committee founded by the Vice Chancellor.

“This is exciting. Finally the hard work we have put in to make students understand the topic is being recognised. FYUP is a more interactive platform where we need to constantly communicate with the students through presentations, games and case studies” expressed one of the teachers from Daulat Ram College.

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Delhi University students to evaluate teachers from January

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In what appears to be a very comprehensive reform in Delhi University, students are set to evaluate the teachers from the next semester starting in January. The Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh has come out with this measure where every teacher will be evaluated twice or thrice every semester. Confidentiality of the feedback will be maintained in the evaluation system by students according to him.
This evaluation will be decisive factor for the promotion of teachers and would be made part of teacher’s files. Teachers will be judged on factors like quality of teaching, regularity in taking classes and innovation in manner of teaching. The new feedback system is called ‘holistic and formal’ by the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University.

When DUTA was asked on their take at this new system, President Nandita Narain expressed her disillusionment. In a telephonic conversation to DU Beat she said, “It is a very dangerous quid pro quo situation and only the teachers would be blamed. There is no provision about monitoring and authenticity of the students’ feedback for teachers. Teachers were not consulted in this decision and the VC is running the university like a mafia. When the teachers don’t have the right to design the courses, how could they be held accountable? It makes no sense and we will certainly oppose this insensitive bureaucratic device.”

She also said, “This measure is nothing but a retaliatory action to the student feedback exercise undertaken by DUTA earlier this month at several colleges. More than 90% students are in favour of 3 year UG system and opposed the FYUP vehemently in their feedback. Now the VC wants to harass teachers with this tool as a tit for tat measure.”

Mrs Neeru Kapoor, a professor at Delhi College of Arts & Commerce said, “This system can be effective only when the students are mature enough and give their judgement properly. Right now our university is in a chaotic situation with the FYUP and semester system and genuine teachers will be penalised if the evaluation system is not genuine. How can a student who does not attend 60% classes decide on the effectiveness of a teacher?”

Another teachers’ body Academics for Action and Development (AAD) has also condemned the university administration and called it a regressive measure where complexities of caste, gender, religion and region come into operation and may result in harassment of teachers.

“I think this new system will be good if implemented well. Teachers will be more regular so as to teach us certain concepts which we are not familiar with. If they teach us using models, projects, through physical demonstration or case studies, then we’ll be able to grasp the course easily by these innovative methods”, said Vijay, a student of FYUP in Delhi University.

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Juxtapose

PTMs In DU – Are You For Or Against It?

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Graphic Credits: Siddhant Sharma

The news of Delhi University introducing PTM’s at college level has left students from both North and South campus bewildered. While there are also those who think of it as a good decision taken by the authorities.

This week, Juxtapose gives all you students a chance to raise your voice either, for or against this major decision. Follow the link and start posting your views!

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Campus Central

PTMs in DU: Hello, Military Camp!

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Remember the time when one weekend in a month (or two) neared like impending doom? Remember the circulars, placidly inviting all the dear parents for a “healthy” interaction with the teachers, about how their children were doing at school? I remember dying a little bit inside every time we got one of those. I also remember trudging along nervously, as I would lead my parents up the stairs, to the dark chambers of classrooms and staff-rooms where the teachers waited for the next victim to be slaughtered, while a friend would pass by with a throat-slitting signal and a whispered “yaar aaj to lag gai.” I remember sitting there awkwardly, being talked about in grave tones of concern like I wasn’t even there, having everything from my marks, habits, activities, uniform and even my friends being discussed and dissected. I wasn’t that bad a student, so I would alternate between taking my mom to the teachers who would praise me and those who were sure to land me a lecture on the way back.

Come college, I thought all that was over. But now after I’ve settled down into the comfortable routine of doing things my way, without having to worry about having my activities discussed later, DU decides to burst my bubble. Delhi University’s reported proposal to form a parents’ coordination committee sounds to me like taking a huge leap backwards in the process of student development. What has been supposedly proposed for better administration and policy making seems like not just another way to poke moral reprobation on students’ campus activities, but also as destroying the fundamental difference between college and school life.

When you become a college kid, you’re suddenly in a zone where you’re the only one looking out for yourself. There’s no one you’re really accountable to, be it about your attendance, your studies or the kind of friends you make. Your choices are your own and you’re the one who has to face the consequences. College is also probably the time when most of us learn to become responsible and somewhat independent, be it paying the fee (which I’ve experienced by now to be an extremely harrying process in DU), filling the forms on time or maintaining your attendance and proxies to be able to scrape through and give the exams. Part of the vibrancy and culture of college, which distinguishes it from school, is that when we’re dissatisfied, we can raise our voices because we know what we say counts, and the administration is accountable to US. If parents are going to be introduced in the college scene, for more “accountability” towards the students, what are the students going to do? We’re adults now, we hardly need parents as mediators. But I guess by the end of the year we might be seeing parents hawking around campus and parent-teacher meetings being held, in a back-to-school atmosphere where all that college will be left signifying would be a lack of uniforms.

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Campus Central

Biometric Attendence for Teachers Quite a Possibility

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Last month, the court had issued a notice to DU authorities after a PIL was filed by the Indian Council of Legal Aid and Advice, seeking to introduce a biometric system to register the attendance of lecturers and other teaching staff of the university. The PIL said that the attendance system should be introduced to ensure that a teacher “adheres to the teaching hours and days prescribed by the UGC and the university rules”. As per the UGC norms, the workload of teachers should not be less than 40 hours a week for 180 teaching days, apart from being available for at least five hours daily in the college. The working hours actually put in by a lecturer in Delhi University daily are just about three and half hours per day currently.

The affidavit filed by the registrar said: “The University of Delhi is committed to adopt and implement measures which are favourable and beneficial to the university system as a whole, such as the biometric system of attendance for its teachers in order to ensure their presence in colleges and ensure the participation of all teachers in the teaching/learning process.” Emphasising on the perquisites of teachers the affidavit read, “The teachers after the implementation of sixth pay commission have lucrative pay packets and are expected to fully justify the trust and confidence reposed by the society on them by working tirelessly for the betterment of the taught so as to prepare them for facing the challenges of life with confidence and knowledge.” The plea also stated that it seemed that the university was not implementing the biometric system under pressure from teachers’ unions. The university had tried to introduce the system in 2009, but had to hastily withdraw the order after Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) went on strike in protest.

This time around however, Delhi University has assured the Delhi High Court that it would adopt and implement the biometric attendance system for teachers to ensure punctuality. Following the assurance, the court disposed of the plea saying, “On the assurance given by the university, the court hopes and expects that biometric system of attendance would be introduced expeditiously.” The teachers are not expected to stall the move, which is aimed at uplifting the standards of teaching facilities.

 

Sakshi Gupta
[email protected] 

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