Yogesh Singh appointed new DU V-C

He acknowledges challenge over faculty vacancies, hopes to introduce hybrid learning innovations

September 23, 2021 12:26 am | Updated 12:26 am IST - NEW DELHI

22 Yogesh Singh 22 Yogesh Singh

22 Yogesh Singh 22 Yogesh Singh

Professor Yogesh Singh, currently Vice-Chancellor of Delhi Technological University, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi. The university has not had a permanent V-C since Yogesh Tyagi was suspended in October last year.

In a phone interview with The Hindu soon after the announcement, Mr. Singh emphasised that he was a team player and would take all viewpoints on board. He acknowledged the challenge that almost half of DU’s faculty positions are vacant, and expressed hope of bringing in hybrid learning innovations that he has experimented with at DTU.

The appointment was made by the university’s Visitor, President Ram Nath Kovind, the Education Ministry said on Wednesday. He also appointed professor Neelima Gupta as the new Vice-Chancellor of Hari Singh Gour University at Sagar in Madhya Pradesh.

Leadership background

DU’s new V-C comes with a background of leadership at three educational institutions already. Apart from his current position as DTU V-C, Mr. Singh has previously been director of Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology and V-C of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and is also a member of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. He, himself, is an alumnus of National Institute of Technology at Kurukshetra, with a PhD in computer engineering.

Apart from his academic credentials, Mr. Singh was appointed as an independent director of Gujarat government public sector firm Gujarat State Petro Net in May 2013 and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation in March 2015. This August, he was also appointed as an additional director on the board of Gujarat Gas.

RSS link

Asked about the perception that he is ideologically aligned with the RSS and its education wing, Mr. Singh did not deny it but insisted that he would represent all interests.

“A Vice-Chancellor has to take everyone together. After joining Delhi University, I will be a Vice-Chancellor for everyone and we will take everyone together. For a V-C, the interests of the university should be protected,” he said. “DU is one of the oldest seats of learning in our country. We will take all necessary steps which are essential for the growth and development of the university. I’m a team player,” he said.

The new V-C acknowledged that DU currently has the highest level of faculty vacancies among Central universities in the country, with 846 of its 1,706 sanctioned posts lying vacant. “We will start the process. Recruitment is a very important activity and is the prime responsibility of any V-C to do it. We will do it on a regular basis, not as a one-time affair,” Mr. Singh said.

Hybrid learning is among the innovations, he hopes to introduce. “In DTU, we have experimented many such things, like the flip classroom concept, where a 15-20 minute video is given to the students. They are expected to go through that. Later, teachers in the class start discussion and encourage peer learning. So that classrooms become interesting,” said Mr. Singh.

“Right now, many students feel that classrooms are very boring. So the teaching pedagogy needs to be improved... Online education has become a reality now. It has helped us so we could say this has been a year of students. But now the time has come, we have to think about new pedagogy and teaching-learning processes,” he said.

He said it was too early to comment about other initiatives or priorities, including the National Education Policy’s proposed reforms, but promised that changes were in the pipeline. “Leadership is very important for any institution. Wherever I have worked, I have worked with positivity and enthusiasm. Here too, I will take all steps, with the help of others, as a team. You will see the difference very soon,” Mr. Singh added.

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