Delhi university’s FYUP mis-step: No regrets, but could have named it something else, says VC Dinesh Singh

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“As many as 4,000 professors and students were consulted and their views taken into account. Malay (Neerav), the media spokesperson, went to 47 colleges to talk to students and explain FYUP to them. A three-day academic Congress was organised, in which 1,200 teachers and experts from across the county participated,” he said.

Singh acknowledged that perhaps the decision to “call it a four-year programme” was a wrong one but, he said, it was not a personal loss. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have called it a four-year programme because students always had the option of leaving in the middle due to various exit points. But I have no regrets. The rollback wasn’t my loss, it was a loss for the society and the country,” he said.

Singh also toured various colleges like Hansraj College, Lady Irwin College, Maitreyi College and Sri Venkateswara College, to meet and interact with students and teachers, before his retirement on October 28. While he discussed the importance of radio and WiFi, among other topics, he did not seek any feedback from the students about FYUP.

While making a stop at Maitreyi College, the vice-chancellor posed some questions for a group of students who were performing a play on dowry.
“Do you really think it (the process of giving dowry) still exists? Do you know of anyone personally who takes dowry? There are many cultures in which the groom gives dowry to the bride’s family, but nobody says anything then. Perhaps because the grooms don’t get beaten up,” he said.