Sweta Anand, a psychology student at Bhagalpur University had resigned herself to completing her degree in aboutfive to seven years. The delay would be because examinations and sessions in her university—like all others in Bihar—were running almost two years behind schedule.‘‘We all thought it would take five years but now everything is going on time. The session is not late and there have been so many changes. Now there is an academic atmosphere,’’ she says. Her professors come to class on time and regularly. And she has seen her class swell from the regulars of 10-15 to its full strength of 30 in the last one year.On Thursday she was among the students who rushed to the support of the man she considers responsible for this change in the last one year: vice chancellor Ramashray Yadav.On Wednesday the vice chancellor, credited with turning around the university, handed in his resignation after some students came to his office and damaged his furniture, protesting over his move to impose an additional fee of Rs 10 to carry out monthly class tests.But a larger group of students and guardians protested the move and demanded the withdrawal of the resignation and even threatened to go on hungerstrike.‘‘There was a spontaneous support and I resumed my office. But the danger is always lurking. Most reforms are met with resistance,’’ he says.Bhagalpur University in the last one year has seen lots of reforms. Sessions and examinations have been regularised and private tuition abolished. However, a dress code for teachers—which is in the pipeline—is not very popular. Spread over 86 acres and with a strength of 30,000, Bhagalpur University has the look of a prosperous institution. The campus has been cleaned up and all the department buildings and colleges whitewashed giving a smart look to the campus.‘‘The academic standards had fallen but now they are back on track. Discipline is back,’’ says head of the chemistry department, Vivekananda Mishra. Records show attendance has gone up to 80 per cent from a meagre 40 per cent in the last one year.The vice chancellor has also regularised payment of salaries with all the staff getting their pay on time on the first of every month. Yadav has introduced paid seats in all departments over and above the limit. In the chemistry department, there are 10 paid seats. He has also got an old boys association started and has canvassed for funds from them.The fund covers the salaries of the teachers every month and is replenished every time the Bihar government releases the funds. In other universities teachers get their salary few months late. A 3-member vigilance team has been set up which pays surprise visits to the houses of teachers to ensure that nobody is taking private tuitions on the sly. In exchange, a tutoring centre has been set up in the campus and teachers who teach there are given extra money.The VC also busted the fake degree racket that was going on in the university and put a stop to it. Another step, which Yadav has taken to ensure that there is no backlog this year, is to introduce a 320 workday for teachers. Of course this and the dress code for teachers has resulted in opposition among the ranks.‘‘The changes are wonderful. But there shouldn’t be a dresscode for teachers or for students,’’ says Arvind Kumar, a journalism professor. Another complaint teachers have is that their workload has increased without any of the 40 per cent vacancies being filled up. Midnight classes have also started which teachers say is a further strain. But students love it.Adds lawyer Subhash Jha who practices in the High Court: ‘‘If England’s PM Tony Blair can have 24 hours school, why not Mr Yadav in Bhagalpur?’’ ‘‘Nowadays we feel proud of coming to the university. Earlier we didn’t attend classes but we have seen the changes and we are now regular,’’ says Umashankar, a final semester MBA student.For him, turning Bhagalpur University around and making it a model university is something he wants to do to make up for what happened during his stint as chairman of BPSC. Slapped with corruption charges he was suspended on the day of his superannuation.He was finally absolved by the Supreme Court but only after a three-year struggle. He says that this stint as V-C is an opportunity for him to prove himself. ‘‘BPSC was my crucifixion and this is my resurrection,’’ says Yadav. His mission is not over yet.Interview with Ramashray yadav, VC, BhaGalpur University‘I will go with a begging bowl to anyone willing to help us’
