St. Stephen’s is again making news but this time for their call for an autonomous status from Delhi University (DU).
Yup. On Saturday, St. Stephen’s called for a meeting with the governing body in order to discuss the university’s proposal to get a grant of autonomy.
But there is no need to be shocked guys, because this has been in the making for a long time. And it’s not even as if this is the first time that St. Stephen’s and a couple of other colleges in DU have called for an autonomous status.
Earlier in around 1981, St. Stephen’s was given autonomy by the ministry of human resource and development. Basically, having such a status would mean that the college in question, would no longer be bound the mandatory rules of the University and instead can create and follow their own rules in regards to syllabus, fee structure, and will be considered a separate body from DU.
Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Shri Ram College for Commerce (SRCC) and Hansraj College have also made appeals for an autonomous status.
LSR has even gotten it in 2013, which was again heavily protested against by the Delhi University Teacher’s Association (DUTA) as they had done so similarly in ’81 for St. Stephen’s.
What Exactly Is St. Stephen’s Crying About In The First Place?
One thing I don’t understand is why exactly is St. Stephen’s making such a big hue and cry about getting autonomy from DU.
It is anyways separate from DU in practically every way possible, be it their admission process, their teaching methods, their student’s unions and more.
Then why the insistence of cutting away from DU altogether?
Perhaps, according to me, it could be because even after getting partial autonomy, St. Stephen’s is still bound by many of DU rules and cannot do everything the way they want to.
This will give the college more freedom over its policies and regulations and not have to be considered a constituent of DU anymore.
But The Students and Teachers Are Not Happy With This
However, it turns out that the students and teachers of St. Stephen’s are not exactly for the autonomous status and are calling for a different procedure.
Many are perplexed as their questions and doubts concerning such a status are not being answered fully by the authorities.
Also, the students and teachers don’t want full autonomy from the university, instead just on academic and governance levels, which affect the lives of their students.
Cutting off completely from DU will result in a big change for the college and will change a lot of things and privileges that it has enjoyed till now.
Now, you tell me, what do you think? Should St. Stephens’s cut away from Delhi University or remain as a part of it?
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