Hindu College protesters march to DU VC office, flag admission, governance issues | Delhi News - The Times of India

New Delhi: Scores of students and teachers of Hindu College, who have been protesting against the college administration since Sept 14, marched to the

Delhi University

vice-chancellorâs office Thursday, raising allegations of admission irregularities, financial opacity and governance lapses.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to South Campus director Rajni Abbi, in the absence of the VC, seeking that DU temporarily take over the college from its trust and governing body and form an extended governing body. They also sought an independent, time-bound inquiry into the allegations.

Among the issues they flagged was the alleged breach of DU rules in supernumerary admissions, including the prescribed 20% cap. The association alleged that admissions were made despite objections from teachers in-charge and committee convenors.

The memorandum alleged misuse of the college premises and resources for private commercial activities, including courses being run for profit without the staff councilâs approval. It raised questions over the presence of donors and private interests in the governing body.

âThe college has started a perfumery course through the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), where the principalâs spouse is a director. This raises a direct conflict of interest and is not an ethical practice. The approval to run the course and the partnership with IFRA were not placed before or cleared by the concerned committees,â said

Chandrachur Singh

, the college staff council secretary.

The association also raised concerns over âunexplainedâ fee hikes, opaque scholarship allocation, and infrastructure-related issues. It said disciplinary action was taken against seven teachers in 2015 after they raised concerns over construction-related violations, terming it an attempt to suppress whistleblowers.

The association has sought transparency on governing body minutes, audited accounts, CAG reports, tenders and contracts.

Responding to the allegations, Hindu College principal Anju Srivastava said: âThere is no conflict of interest. The programme is run by Hindu College and has several knowledge partners and IFRA is one of them. My spouse, who is also an alumnus of the college, happens to be associated with IFRA. The college routinely seeks contributions and support from its alumni for initiatives benefiting students. There is no financial transaction or monetary benefit with any knowledge partner involved in the programme.â

On admissions, she said: âThe issues being raised were glitches that had already been clarified by the university administration and were not attributable to the college.â

On allegations of privatisation, she said, âThe college, in accordance with the universityâs policy, seeks donations from alumni and other donors to improve facilities and infrastructure for students. As per the applicable policy, visibility is also provided to donors on campus in acknowledgement of their contributions.â

Powered by शिक्षा खबर Skillogy