Principals of Hindu College and Miranda House Talk About Life at DU

The University of Delhi (DU) is one of the most sought after universities in the country and every year, lakhs of students vie for seats at the colleges of the prestigious varsity. Due to skyrocketing cut-off scores and limited seats, the competition to get into DU gets tougher every year. To get an understanding of the insight that the leading colleges of DU have regarding some of its major factors, the principals of two colleges of DU were invited to the Idea Exchange hosted at the Indian Express office in Noida on 26th July 2019, Friday.

The principal of Hindu College, Dr. Anju Srivastava, and the acting principal of Miranda House, Dr. Bijayalaxmi Nanda, expressed their views on the challenges of having a diverse classroom, the syllabus controversy of DU, the trend of private universities, and some other factors related to Delhi University.

Talking about the increasing diversity in DU, Dr. Srivastava said that most of the students of DU used to be from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, etc. but in the past two-three years many students from the south have started applying too. These students are 100 percenters who come to the university with great zeal and ambition and they are also willing to participate in the co-curricular activities and get groomed. The online portal of DU has brought a significant change in the overall admission scenario and made it easy for students even from the remote areas to apply.

Dr. Nanda added to it and said the DU is like Princeton and Stanford for these students who come from the southern states of the country. They work hard to get a seat in the university so that they can avail the opportunities provided and can receive grooming to be a part of this urbane and cosmopolitan culture. She said that this diversity adds vibrancy to the campus but it also comes with a challenge of reflecting the diversity in the teaching pedagogy of the university.

Also Read:List of DUET 2019 Toppers: Ranks, Names, and Marks

When asked about the high cutoffs and the difficulty of students to cope with the academic pressure, Dr. Srivastava said that the curriculum of the university is very different from that of schools and the students are apprised of this during the orientation itself. Mechanisms like tutorials and mentor-mentee system are designed to help students cope with the pressure. Dr. Nanda said that students are explained they cannot get 100 per cent marks in college as it becomes heartbreaking for a 100 percenter of a school of any board to receive a B+ in the semester exams. The colleges provide students with counsellors and peer mentors so that they do not get disheartened and are able to go that extra mile to achieve excellence.

Srivastava told that some students wish to start working after graduation rather than pursuing higher studies. The companies mostly look for students who belong to the background of commerce, economics, statistics, mathematics, etc. The internship cells of the colleges at DU train students for the same and try to rope in as many companies for campus placements as possible. She also said that science students usually do not want to step into the job market after graduation and they aim for internships at institutions like the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) so that they can pursue postgraduation or Ph.D from there as well. Many students also aspire for IIMs and UPSC.

Dr. Srivastava further said that the admissions at DU cannot be limited only for the people staying in Delhi and that it is problematic if political parties do not understand that DU is a Central University. She said that it cannot use the state domicile for admissions and that the university gets grants and funds accordingly.

Both the principals said that a major difference between the students of today and the students they had 15-20 years back is that today’s generation is learning more from the internet. The diversity of the classrooms has also changed drastically and students have more zeal and enthusiasm to learn new things.

Also Read:DU Begins its New Academic Session of 2019-20 with an Orientation Programme

Dr. Srivastava and Dr. Nanda talked at length about the value of marks, how unfortunate it is that students with marks below 97 per cent cannot be admitted to the university, whether an entrance exam is plausible or not, about the guidelines and rules against sexual harassment, etc. They also discussed how private universities are doing a great job by offering students with good subjects and combinations. The things that these two principals wish to change about their colleges is that students should get accommodation and scholarships if they need it. They also aim at enhancing the employability of their students.