Amid protests by students and teachers, the Governing Body of St. Stephen’s College on Saturday decided to go ahead with the proposal seeking autonomy for the institution.
“The GB has in-principle decided to seek autonomous status for the college,” said a member of the Governing Body (GB), the supreme decision-making body.
DU panel formed
With the Central government announcing provisions for more autonomy for educational institutions across the country in the annual budget, Delhi University had earlier this month formed a committee for its colleges seeking autonomy or university status.
Prestigious colleges like SRCC, St Stephen’s, Ramjas, Hansraj and those run by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had approached the university and HRD officials seeking greater autonomy and decision-making powers.
Scores of students and members of the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), meanwhile, sat on protest as the meeting was underway, demanding for wider consultations to be held before a conclusion is arrived at.
Unless the colleges get university status with powers to award degrees, granting them more autonomy will not necessarily mean that they will not be part of the university.
In order to be eligible for autonomous status, the colleges will be required to impart quality education, maintain the student-faculty ratio and infrastructure, besides getting A-grade in NAAC accreditation for three times in a row.
Petition signed
“A petition signed by more than 500 students and 30 teachers was presented to the Governing Body by a teacher representative during its meeting,” the DUTA said in a statement.
“The Governing Body ignored the plea and decided by a majority vote to adopt the proposal for autonomy in-principle and follow the procedure laid down for consultation prior to sending the application. Four teacher representatives voted against the resolution," it added.
