CM focuses on job creation, Manish Sisodia on need for online teaching at Ambedkar University event

In her address earlier in the convocation, vice-chancellor Anu Lather had announced that university authorities had completed most formalities with regard to beginning the development of two new campuses at Dheerpur and Rohini, at a budget of Rs 1,200 crore and Rs 1,100 crore respectively.

“The decision of spending Rs 2,300 crore will now come to the government, but before making that decision, as a minister of finance and education, I would urge that you all think of what other ways this money can be optimally utilised. Can we use this money to engage a larger number of students through technology and give them quality education?” Sisodia said.

At the convocation, Lather announced that 1,003 students graduated from the university in 2020, of whom 65% were women. While some graduating M.Phil and Ph.D students received their degrees in a physical ceremony on stage, a virtual ceremony was conducted for those who could not — with animated avatars of students receiving their degrees from animated avatars of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, L-G Anil Baijal, Sisodia and Lather.

Addressing the gathering online, Kejriwal spoke about the new “start-up” policy which the Delhi government has said in the final stages of completion.

“It becomes important to do a job for one or two, three, four years… but after that you have to…create jobs for people of this country and that is the leadership role the university, the faculty and the students passing out from the university have to play… we are coming out with a comprehensive startup policy to provide legal and technical guidance, loan assistance, subsidies, and will help in many ways,” he said.