» How do you see the current status of education in India?

Despite rapid strides by India in all walks of life, I think there is some amount of anxiety with the parents towards their wards’ careers. Still many parents superimpose their wishes to children. I also feel that there are jobs which are not that intellectually-challenging but offer more money and hence a hot choice for a number of students.

DU is taking note of this trend and is determined to come up with many policies to keep the interest of students alive in the areas which are most intellectually- stimulating and challenging. Also, its really nice to see that now Government has also waken to this fact and is making serious efforts towards encouraging bright students with scholarships and other allowances.

» Caste and religion-based reservations are good for united India, your take on this.

I believe, religion based reservation was never accepted in India. Though caste based reservation was rightly initiated to improve the condition of SCs and STs in the country.

For last many years, those categories were at the receiving end. Hence, I think of reservation as a nice step to help them bond well with the mainstream society.

When I think of reservation, I find that the main fault lies with our schooling system. I think that schooling in India is very uneven. We also have to admit that there is a limit to reservation policy. At most, we can have 50% reservation. Hence, besides reservation, I think we should improve our schooling system too. It is also an irony that we provide admission to a large chunk of students but are still not able to have uniformity in the standard of education entirely.

Besides, it’s high time we make sure that those students belonging to poor families, irrespective of their background, religion and caste are provided better educational and job opportunities. There is lot more to be done for rural students. Students, whose parents are poor, should be given more scholarships, book allowances and other forms of financial assistances.

» How is Delhi University planning to go about the ongoing quota reservations issue?

We have suggested an 18-18-18 for implementing the quota reservations. We also feel that, though for the first year, we would be able to manage it but from second year onwards, it would be difficult for us as we would need more classrooms and more faculties. Besides, the availability of infrastructure is also one big issue. We also feel that we need to have more sharp, dedicated management and faculties too.

Further, would like to clarify that due to quota implementation, no short term course has been stopped.

» It’s also felt that there is a bit of stagnancy in the university curriculum-development. What do you feel about it?

No, I beg to differ on this, of late; Delhi University has completely revamped many of its programmes. The attempt is to make courses more simplified, effective, learner centric and above all more in tune with job-market’s requirements.

DU believes that students should initially embark on developing skills and expertise in the core concepts of the subjects and hence DU always tries to work towards getting the basics right for its students. For example, we can not think of quality students of bioinformatics, unless they initially have solid foundations in the field of Biology and Computer sciences.

» The cut-off marks at DU are increasing considerably every year, how do you see the trend?

Prof. Deepak Pental Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi

There is inflation in CBSE average marks too. Consequently our cut off list also gets affected. I personally feel that it is sad that one or two percent marks make so much difference to students.

DU has taken up the responsibility of bringing uniformity in the standards of education all across its colleges so that students take benefit from the same standards of education. Many colleges have many young faculties and they are doing well. We are open to more of such initiatives for the sake of better education.

Yes, it’s true, a section of students wish for five-ten ‘brand’ DU colleges. I think the reason may lie with their time-tested tradition of excellence in education. DU believes that as students across all DU colleges study same syllabus, attempt the same paper and are granted same degrees from Delhi University, then they should also be assured of same level of quality of education, irrespective of the college they choose.

It also true that some colleges do have more effective teaching practices, such as tutorials etc. This is something which other colleges have to learn. They have to interact more with the students to find out the relevant areas of improvement.

We also realize the need to increase the seats in some of the ‘in-demand’ courses namely, commerce and economics, science and humanities etc.

For courses in language, we are formulating policies to handpick few but committed candidates as we feel that this is the only way to keep our culture of languages alive.

» Please elaborate on the future plans of the varsity.

We are launching a new M.Tech course for PSC students, in the areas of nuclear physics technology, nano material sciences and organic synthesis.

We have also tied up with the CII to offer a large number of vocational courses. These courses are in the fields of Banking, automobile Engineering, medical transcription etc.

DU is also trying to help students build extra vocational skills. A lot of vocational programmes under summer schools are also planned.

Plans are also to start PG Diploma programmes in forensic sciences, polymer chemistry, Banking practices and international finance.

A lot of language remedial courses, particularly in English language are also being offered to new students.

Our institute for life-long learning, equipped with university wide network would also be an excellent platform for cultivating numerous career-skills.

» Please tell us something about the tie-ups with foreign educational institutes.  

At present, Delhi University has MoUs with more than 50 universities of repute worldwide. In the near future, we plan to join hands with a French university for bilateral exchange in the field of nuclear physics. Plans are also in the pipeline to have a similar MoU with a German institution in the area of organic synthesis. Further, we are also on the look out for a quality player in the field of IT too.

» Any advice for DU aspirants?  

Firstly, my advice is: students should be clear in their minds whether they want to pursue a subject seriously, or their aim is to be in a good college - if they are serious about a given subject, then a ‘brand college’ should not matter much. Else for a general degree, they can always look forward to a brand college.

Secondly, I would like to advice students to study with zeal, irrespective of the subjects they choose. Today, every discipline and subject offers endless opportunities. It’s up to you, how big you wish to make it!

Students should also take good care of their health.

They should also gain knowledge outside their regular courseware as it would always add to their skill-set.