‘Want to see DU in list of world’s 200 best univs’
Yogesh Singh took charge of Delhi University (DU) in October last year, amid a massive overhaul of its undergraduate admission system. Ahead of the implementation of the Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET) that replaces the cutoff-based admission procedure this year, he spoke to HT’S Sadia Akhtar. While addressing key concerns pertaining to CUET and the four-year undergraduate system, Singh said the common entrance was a step in the right direction. Edited excerpts:
Do you think CUET is the best way to solve the problems in the admission system?
CUET is a right step in the right direction. Till now, we were admitting students through merit based on Class 12 scores. Had there been a single board, the situation would have been different and we would not have required an entrance test. India is a very large country that has a central board, a few international boards, and so many state boards. Every board has its own uniqueness, strengths and weaknesses. Some boards are lenient, others are strict. We admit students based on their performance in their respective board exams, but give equal weightage to all of them. This means students who are coming from lenient boards have an edge over other students and those who are coming from strict boards, they don’t have that advantage. This is a very unfair system for our students because your performance is also dependent on the performance of your board. One of the best solutions in our view is the common entrance test, where every student will be assessed on the same parameters. This will provide an equal opportunity to all students.
A section of stakeholders feel the current Class 12 batch has seen too many changes. They believe the decision to implement CUET is rushed. Your views?
This decision (CUET) has not been taken on the basis of data from just a year or two. We analysed data from many years and found that many students suffered unnecessarily due to the nature of their board. Although I am not criticising any board, when we admit students in our university, it should be done on the basis of the same parameters. If a student fails to perform well in the boards, the chances of admission are blocked. With CUET, students can appear next year as well. We think it’s likely the central government will conduct CUET twice a year from 2023, so the best performance can be taken into consideration for admission. I will be very happy if this is done. The marks scored in Class 12 will be replaced by the marks scored in CUET. Other processes will remain the same.
What do you have to say about apprehensions that boards will become redundant or diluted?
Someone who performs well in school should perform well in the entrance also. Otherwise, we will have to rethink the process of selection. We need to keep in mind that schools are not meant to get marks. Schools are for education. They are in place to ensure a good learning environment, and marks are an offshoot of this learning. Students will no longer have any pressure of marks. They can focus on learning skills, creativity and originality. Our education system is based on marks and grades. We need to rethink this approach to education. Marks are not everything... Students from small towns will have some advantage under CUET. Otherwise, such students have suffered a lot in the previous system.
There are also concerns that with the reduction in credits under the new framework, there will be reduction in workload as well.
The university is not for teachers, it is for students. We have to keep the interests of students in mind. We have to decide courses in a way that are good for our students, which will add value to their lives. Universities serve that purpose only, and to fulfil that purpose we need a vice chancellor, administration and teachers. Our focus should be to improve the quality of life of our teachers. When we say that workload of teachers should not be affected, it means that the workload of students should not be reduced. The issue is workload of students and not teachers because if there are no students, there is no need to have teachers either. If a student is busy 40 hours a week, how are we expecting our students to indulge in creative work. Such a model is not followed anywhere else. We need to make our students skilful. The welfare of teachers is directly proportional to the welfare of students.
DU will be entering its centenary year this May. What is your vision for the university?
The university is not for teachers, it is for students. We have to keep the interests of students in mind.
My vision is very simple. We want to place DU in the league of the world’s 200 best universities. Right now, when the global rankings come, there is a hue and cry. Some people criticise the international parameters set up by the best. However, an Indian university should feature in the top 200, and DU has the capacity and capability to do this. Last year, we were 600. This year, we are 800. We are climbing down which is unfortunate. We are working on those parameters and we hope to enter the top 200 in the next 10 years.
In the past few years, the strife between Delhi government-funded colleges and the government had escalated. How has your experience been working with the government?
I worked with the government of Delhi in my capacity as director of NSIT [Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology] as well as the V-C of DTU [Delhi Technological University]. I could do anything and everything that I wanted. They supported me and gave the funds. The situation of 12 Delhi government funded colleges is quite different since their posts are not approved. We are working in that direction. I am hopeful that things will be resolved within a year. Colleges have received the grants and salaries but the issue is that for creation of additional teaching posts, approval of finding agency is required. Some of the colleges could not take that. This is an issue but it should be sorted.