The Hindu : New Delhi News : New V-C has big plans for Himachal University

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New V-C has big plans for Himachal University

Staff Correspondent

‘Will work unequivocally towards restoring varsity's grading'

Endeavours to provide complete freedom in research, extension of academic pursuits
New V-C worried about aggressive student politics on the campus, calls it a disease

SHIMLA: The newly-appointed Himachal Pradesh University Vice-Chancellor Professor Arun Diwakar Nath Bajpai is determined to uphold the autonomy of the University by all means and work unequivocally to restore the varsity's grading that had gone down in the past few years.

In his first interface with media persons after joining here, Dr. Bajpai said that without letting some vested interests misuse the autonomy his endeavour would be to provide complete freedom in research and extension of academic pursuits at the university.

A former Vice-Chancellor of A.P.S. University in Rewa, Dr. Bajpai would insist on more classroom teaching and suggested a strong regimen for campus teachers.

He said eye contact with students while teaching in the class transmits not just the knowledge but also the personality component and idealism from teacher to the taught.

Expressing surprise over certain neglected academic areas in the university, he said a campus newsletter and some journals would be brought out by the university immediately.

Written test for

Ph.D. admissions

He plans to introduce a written test for Ph.D. admissions and a six-month re-orientation course for those already enrolled.

The university would start making a data bank of its own right away and conduct various surveys, something it has not done in the past four decades, he said. Surveys and studies by the university would be absolutely transparent and more substantial, original and objective than personal or subjective, he said.

The new Vice-Chancellor also laid emphasis on the need to make educational institutions, especially universities, deeper storehouses of knowledge capital and more participatory in policies and construction of state and societies. So far it is limited to only administrators or bureaucrats, and the university knowledge centres are missing from playing any role in the society, he added.

Though worried about aggressive student politics on the campus, and even calling it a disease, Dr. Bajpai agreed that the university had to provide a platform for free play of ideology. “But I will not allow outsiders to misuse the student power for their political interests,” he asserted.

In an interesting declaration, Dr. Bajpai said he would not allow teachers to form cells of political parties on the campus when they are drawing salaries from the public exchequer.

He said change can be brought about in the University Act to stop teachers from fighting general elections and then rejoining their jobs at government-run universities.

“We will try to increase the academic members rather than the political elements in the University Executive Council,” he added.

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