Deprivation point model returns at JNU

New Delhi: Vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit recently announced that the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) intends to reinstate the most distinctive aspect of its admissions policy—the deprivation point model—for PhD applicants. The institution created a deprivation point model to aid in the admittance of students from underdeveloped areas, particularly women. Under the direction of the previous vice chancellor of the institution, M. Jagadesh Kumar, it was abandoned a few years ago despite vocal criticism from several students.

Students and teachers have long been calling for the deprivation model to be reinstated. Santishree stated that the institution is restoring the deprivation point model for "inclusivity and equity" on the campus in an interview with media on Wednesday.

"We are going to bring back the deprivation point for PhD students because our reserved categories seats don’t get filled up. I come from a reserved category, and would like to see it implemented … especially for women from the reserved category. We want inclusivity and equity," she said. "We are the only university in the country which gives these deprivation points and that is why we have become unique," she said.

In order to increase its income, which, according to Santishree, is necessary to partially make up for the Rs 130 loss the university is experiencing, the university is trying to implement hybrid learning and is working to go international.

"We want to go for e-learning, or online learning, because we have a deficit of Rs 130 crore and we can't expect everything to come from the Centre," she said. "We want to make JNU self-reliant. JNU runs some of the best programmes, so we will have hybrid learning. We want to go international, we are getting a lot of requests from the foreign universities."

Regarding the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP), the VC stated that the university has separated the School of Indian languages from the School of Language and has also started the procedure for a multiple entry and exit system, which will allow students to drop out and rejoin the course even after a few years.

"We have already started implementing it (NEP)... in Indian languages, also a multiple entry and exit system, which is very good for students. We separated the school of Indian languages from the School of languages. We are also concentrating on developing very good faculty for Indian languages," she said.

Asked about an increased reporting of sexual harassment incidents from campus, Santishree contended that her administration has been "very proactive" in investigating these types of cases. "Whatever cases come in the ICC we take them forward," she said.

The JNU administration established the ICC, or Internal Complaints Committee, in 2017 to handle sexual harassment allegations and related issues. The institution also intends to install CCTV cameras in the women's hostel and enclose the campus with a 10-foot high wall, according to the VC. She said that a new security tender has been floated by the administration to take the position of the organisation already in charge of campus security.

Students and teachers have, in the past, many times demanded that the administration hire a new security agency. "We have put up a new security tender. We have a committee, and the security has been reviewed. A lot of incidents of theft are taking place on the campus, we will change it. It should be done in a month or a month-and-a-half," the VC said. "Our campus is spread over 2,000 acres. We have a broken wall. With a 130 crore deficit, we are looking at CSR and other sources to get the damaged wall repaired -- 10 feet at least. So that you know people won't jump over," she said.