V-P flags role in freedom struggle as DU clocks 100

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of Delhi University’s centenary celebrations, vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu said that the Delhi University had grown in strength and stature over the past 100 years.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday asked higher educational institutes in the country to focus on academic upgradation and research to bolster human development and nation-building, adding that strides in education were crucial to creating a prosperous and sustainable global future.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu being presented a memento by Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh during Delhi University's centenary celebrations, at the university's North Campus, in New Delhi, Sunday, May 1, 2022. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist)

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Delhi University’s centenary celebrations, Naidu said the university had grown in strength and stature over the past 100 years.

“The centenary event coincides with 75 years of Independence. Delhi University has played an important role in the country’s Independence movement,” said Naidu, thanking teachers, students, and alumni of the varsity.

As part of the celebrations, Naidu released a postage stamp on DU, a commemorative ₹100 coin and a centenary volume outlining 100 years of DU’s history through pictures. He also launched the university’s centenary website. The university also released a brochure, along with the new Undergraduate Curriculum Framework based on NEP 2020 in Hindi, Sanskrit and Telugu languages. During the function, a 100-second documentary film on the university’s journey was also released.

On Sunday, DU also initiated the registration process for students who couldn’t complete their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees earlier. Students can avail a second chance to finish their courses as a ‘centenary chance’ by registering by June 14.

Naidu said ancient India was a vishwaguru (global teacher) and was home to some of the earliest ancient knowledge systems, even as he added that Indian varsities needed to build on their knowledge system and emerge as institutes of excellence. “Our aim should be to become knowledge centres and ensure Indian varsities are ranked among the top 10 of the world,” said Naidu.

Describing the National Education Policy 2020 as a “far-sighted document” which will revolutionise the educational landscape of the country, Naidu said its emphasis on imparting education in one’s mother tongue will prove to be a game-changer.

Naidu said local languages must be the main mode of communication in the administration and courts, clarifying that he was not opposed to people learning English. “I feel basic education, local administration and proceedings in courts should be in the mother tongue,” said Naidu.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was the guest of honour, said DU was among the few institutes in the country that had completed 100 years. “When the country celebrates 100 years of its Independence, DU will celebrate 125 years of its establishment. It will emerge as an institute of research globally,” he said.

Pradhan said the university can take up various challenges on different fronts in the next few years and emerge as an incubator for global solutions. “Can the university go paperless? Can it conduct a hackathon and prepare a charter of solutions to the country’s problems in 100 days? Can the university create an alumni portal and create a model for alumni contribution to the country? The university should ponder upon these aspects,” said Pradhan.

DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh said the varsity that started on May 1, 1922, with 750 students and only three colleges had grown over the past 100 years to comprise 606,228 students and 90 colleges. The university started with a budget of ₹40,000 in 1922, and now operates with a budget of over ₹838 crore, said Singh. He added that there were 82 women students in 1922, and over 300,000 women — more than 50% of the student strength — were currently enrolled at the university. “This is an outstanding journey of 100 years. Now, Delhi University has reached every home and every mind of the country,” said Singh.