If Delhi University is a dream, why are some of its classrooms still empty?
Our first stop was Bhagini Nivedita College in Kair, near Najafgarh, one of the university’s far-flung campuses that falls under the Delhi government’s fully funded umbrella of 12 colleges. The farther we travelled towards Delhi’s western edge, the quieter the roads became; the familiar bustle…
Our first stop was Bhagini Nivedita College in Kair, near Najafgarh, one of the university’s far-flung campuses that falls under the Delhi government’s fully funded umbrella of 12 colleges. The farther we travelled towards Delhi’s western edge, the quieter the roads became; the familiar.
By the time we reached the college, the rain had left parts of the road muddy and the campus unusually quiet. But the weather was not what caught our attention.
What Happened
It was the number on the admission sheet. More than 800 undergraduate seats at Bhagini Nivedita College were still vacant after two rounds of admissions.
BNC was established in 1993 to provide higher education to women from the rural and semi-urban parts of Haryana.
The college has spent ₹2 crore on development over the last 11 months, according to Mishra.
She also alleged that the previous AAP government had mistreated the college and provided no funds.
Key Details
We were no longer at the far western edge of Delhi. Satyawati is much closer to the university’s central ecosystem, and the campus on a rainy Thursday morning was far from deserted.
The problem is that students are now comparing much more than infrastructure.
The campus is considerably quieter than the better-known DU hubs, but quiet does not necessarily mean neglected.
There is greenery, there are classrooms, laboratories, a library, canteen facilities and spaces for indoor and outdoor activities.
Why It Matters
Students moved through the corridors, an orientation programme was underway and there was the unmistakable activity of a new academic session beginning. As many as 546 undergraduate seats were still vacant across Satyawati’s morning and evening shifts after the second round.
Yet a visit to the campus makes it clear that this is not simply a story of a college that has been left behind.
The focus, she said, has been on improving the student environment, introducing newer programmes and responding to changing expectations.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge
