The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

CAMPUS
Studies are the last thing on their mind
Gaurav Choudhury

Teaching has taken a backseat at the Delhi University. For teachers and prospective teachers, the recent UGC notification directing a moratorium on the teachers’ appointments and laying down a strict weekly work schedule, is more than an issue.

The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) held a massive demonstration in front of the UGC headquarters demanding that the notification be immediately withdrawn.

The students of the Delhi University, on the other hand, are busy preparing for the forthcoming Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) polls to elect the new office-bearers.

Conventionally, the DUSU elections are held during the second week of September, just before the 15-day autumn break begins.

Already, bills, posters and banners can be seen plastered all over the campus, carrying portrait-sized photographs of prospective candidates.

The contest in DUSU, for the last several years, has primarily been between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI)–the student wings of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress respectively.

For the prospective candidates, the stakes are high as it marks the beginning of their political career. Many of country’s leading politicians, including BJP general secretary and former Law Minister Arun Jaitley, have graduated from DUSU.

With more than 80 colleges affiliated to the Delhi University, the DUSU polls are an elaborate affair and for the candidates, it means exhaustive canvassing, spread all across the city. For students, this has meant losing out on precious study hours.

Add to this, new security concerns have been raised in the aftermath of the recent incidents of molestation and rape on the university campus (one of them involving a policeman). These incidents have once again brought to the forefront the demand for stopping all thoroughfares through the DU north campus.

The alleged molestation of the girl is not a one-off incident.

“A few years ago, there was a case when a reckless driver knocked over a girl student as she was crossing the road. Not much has happened since then except for naming a road (Shriya Mishra marg) in the name of the victim and putting two speed-breakers in front of the women hostel on Chattra Marg,” said a former student, who is now a teacher in the university.

“The ambience on the campus is fast degenerating and if it continues unabated, a time may come when girls students will have to move around with escorts. Even that might not help, as an uncouth cop could be on the prowl,” a DU official said.

Already, girls are victims of lewd comments by uncouth passers-by and often have to experience unpleasant situations while commuting by public transport, she said.

Snazzy cars, with high pitch music are a common sight on the campus. “These are like mobile discos and it can become dangerous in the dark,” said a girl student residing in a women hostel on the campus.

Girl students confide that in most cases they try to ignore the eve-teaser and mostly prefer to maintain a safe distance. “A reaction often acts as a provocation for further unpleasant remarks. It is better not to pay attention at all,” said another student residing in the university.

While stopping access to the campus to outside traffic is one of the options being considered, town planners caution that it will turn out to be a long-drawn-out affair, especially when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Project (DMRC) is in full swing. Already, the DMRC project has brought about a number of diversions in the area, which includes opening one road through the northern ridge forests.

Korean students graduate

The 3rd batch of students from Sungkonghoe University, Seoul, who had come to India for computer training at APTECH, under the aegis of Aptech’s ‘India Window Program,’ graduated recently. A convocation was held to mark the occasion.

Aptech has trained around 700 Korean students in 35 batches. Currently, Aptech has alliances with 7 Korean Universities, including Sungkonghoe University, Woosong University, Kookmin University, Hoseo University, Joongbu University, Chungang University, Woosuk University, and Soonchunhyang University. The Korean students have been enrolled at various Aptech centres across the country including Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Cochin, and Hyderabad.

On the occasion, Mr V. Balasubramanian, global IT head of Aptech says, “We are delighted to note that the initiative of the ‘India Window Program’ has grown by leaps and bounds over the last six years. Aptech has been empanelled by the Korean Government and Korean universities to teach their students.”

The Korean government has embarked upon a policy to promote IT industry and enhance its global competitiveness, as the demand for skilled IT professionals in Korea is expected to rise to 270,000 by 2005. Obviously, Korea looks to India as India’s IT and software expertise is internationally acknowledged.

During their 9-month stint in India, these students have also attended internships with various top-notch IT companies. Aptech’s ‘India Window Program’ invites students from all over the world for training in the IT sector. The ‘India Window Program’ (IWP) has students enrolled from Korea, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Kenya, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Tanzania at the various Aptech centres in Pune, Bangalore and Chennai.

Bachelor’s degree

NIIT has signed an MoU with the US-based ITT Educational Services Inc. to offer a 4-year Bachelor’s degree in information technology.

NIIT has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US-based ITT Educational Services Inc. (ITT/ESI) to form an academic alliance.

As part of the MoU, the ITT/ESI in Indianapolis, USA, will offer its 4-year Bachelor’s degree in IT, with specialisation in Information Systems Security (BSISS) programme to NIIT students in India.

The academic alliance will allow NIIT’s past, present and prospective students to transfer their DNIIT programme credits and secure direct admission into third year of the 4-year US accredited degree programme.

Besides the IT companies, the BSISS graduates can pursue job opportunities in the financial institutions, insurance companies, banks, research institutions, media and entertainment organisations, government as well as enforcement agencies, a NIIT spokesperson said.

BSISS programme will be taught in India through NIIT’s learning centres in the first and second years, followed by online delivery by ITT technical institute at select NIIT centres in the third and fourth years.

Fresh students enrolling into career programmes of NIIT can opt for a four-year BSISS programme. Admissions would be based on written tests to be conducted in August 2002. The students would be put through a series of module tests throughout their four years at NIIT.

Corporate Network

Amity Corporate Network (Amcon) held a daylong workshop on “Roadmap to success” which was addressed by leading corporate heads here in the Capital.

Management executives from various functional areas such as strategic planning, HRD, sales, marketing, finance, material and manufacturing from companies such as Dabur, Ranbaxy, Hero Honda, Luxor, Ford, New Holland Tractor and Maruti besides students from leading universities attended the meet.

The seminar’s objective was to help participants discover a new route to success through positive attitude, self-motivation, interpersonal skills and effective communication.

Coaching institute

The students of Brills Education India Private Limited, a leading coaching institute for medical and engineering entrance examinations, have fared among the top-rankers of leading engineering and medical colleges of the country.

According to the managing director of the institute, Mr P Chandra, regular tests and a well-structured test series sharpen the competitiveness of the students of the institute.

Set up in 1970, the institute constantly upgrades its curriculum and provides the students with comprehensive and competition-relevant study material, Mr Chandra said.

Academic collaboration

Fourteen professors and research faculty from India were chosen to be part of the third annual ‘Microsoft Research Faculty Summit’ held at Redmond, USA.

“Thanks to ‘Microsoft University Relations’, NET is going to be become a part of our curriculum in India soon,” said Professor N.Balakrishnan, chairman, Division of Information Science, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Prof Balakrishnan was one of the participants at the summit.

“Mircosoft-University Relationship’ has been initiated in India two years ago. Here, we are building industry-academia relationship and work on mutually agreed research projects,” said Mr Rao Remala, Director, India Vendor and University Relations, Microsoft.

Microsoft Research University Relations, a division of Microsoft Research, is dedicated to building world-class relationships with colleges and universities that enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspiring technological innovation and establishing Microsoft as a leading technology partner for higher education.