No Delhi University Vice Chancellor's tenure has been a cakewalk: Dinesh Singh

NEW DELHI: Outgoing Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh who has had an eventful tenure which saw massive controversy over the now defunct FYUP, says in the varsity's history, any VC who has tried to bring "any significant change" had faced similar opposition.

"It is not that I have been exceptionally criticised for trying to propose any reforms or ideas. It has generally been the history in the university. Any VC who has tried to bring any significant change has faced similar opposition as well as criticism. This is possibly a major reason behind why things have generally remained stagnant at the university for years in between," Singh told PTI.

Singh, who is the only DU VC in the 93-year-old existence of DU to have been issued a show-cause notice by the HRD ministry, said, he had witnessed similar happenings ever since he was an undergraduate student of the university.

"When I was a first-year student at St Stephen's college in 1972, the then vice chancellor Professor Sarup Singh (1971-74) had introduced an administrative reform designed to improve the functioning of colleges...there was such a huge hue and cry and protests including strike by teachers that within one week he had to withdraw the same.

"Not many people know now, that Ram Kishore (1934-38) had converted the two-year undergraduate programme to a three-year course. It had the approval from the varsity Academic Council (AC) and the Executive Council (EC) which are the statutory bodies. At the last stage the University Court had turned it down due to major opposition. Imagine even after having all the approvals," he said.
"Then, Maurice Gwyer who assumed charge as VC in 1938, struggled for almost three years to convert the university from a two year UG programme to a three year programme. Again after massive opposition!

"This is possibly a major reason why no major systemic reforms have taken place in the university since 1938, until the time when my predecessor Deepak Pental (2005-2010) tried to walk down the same lane by introducing the semester system. There was a similar scene then, teachers on strike, matter being taken to court, endless obstacles," the VC said.

"I had to struggle for a year to complete the conversion to a semester mode. The FYUP railway rode on the tracks laid in the form of the semester system. It has never been a cakewalk for any VC, a vociferous but not very large group of teachers have consistently opposed change," he added.

The tenure of Singh, a well known mathematician, which is ending on October 28 saw a series of controversies ever since the introduction of the the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) which was later rolled back after intervention by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The row escalated further when the varsity's teachers' association which has been always up-and-arms against him, released a white paper citing alleged irregularities in his functioning and demanded his removal.

With barely few weeks remaining for his tenure to expire, the HRD ministry also moved a recommendation to President Pranab Mukherjee who is also the Visitor of the University, to ask Singh to proceed on compulsory leave following allegations of conflict of interest in appointing former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan on selection panel of the next DU VC.

While no action was taken against Singh by the Visitor after the show-cause as well as the HRD recommendation, he was dropped from a delegation accompanying the President to Jordan, Palestine and Israel earlier this month.

He, however, maintained that he knew that these things will follow once he took up the position.

"I have never been put down by controversies or criticism. These are opportunities to reflect and to grow. Being patient is what I learnt from my experience here. When you assume an office such as that of a Vice Chancellor, you had better be ready for these things," he said.