Delhi University’s overcrowded college needs an education in catering for students, as it’s revealed classes are held in the BASEMENT, despite a lack of emergency exits
- Dyal Singh College has combined morning and evening shifts into one
- Faculty and students are in uproar over the ‘space crunch’
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Students are being forced to study in rooms with no emergency exit at a university college in Delhi, because of a severe shortage of space.
The capital’s most populated college, Dyal Singh College — previously running in two shifts — has now combined both morning and evening shifts into just one.
Amid uproar from faculty and students about space crunch, classes in the college are being conducted in seminar halls and the auditorium in an effort to accommodate nearly 6,000 students at the 10-acre campus.
Students and faculty members have flagged up gaping infrastructure issues at the college.
Dyal Singh College is in an infrastructure fix
One pupil said: ‘Our classes are being conducted in the basement, auditoriums and seminar halls. The classes that are being conducted in the basement have no emergency exit or passage.
‘It gets worse when we appear for exams because some of the students who cannot be accommodated in a classroom are shifted to canteens and libraries. Last semester, we were given exams in canteen and corridors.’
The student said that, despite its sprawling appearance, there is no space for cultural activities.
Students need space to study and relax
Relaxing, too, is nigh on impossible as the college is unable to provide a spacious canteen to accommodate students.
‘For a college with 6,000 students, we have a canteen that can barely fit 150 students,’ the pupil said.
College principal I S Bakshi said: ‘Concerns raised by stakeholders of the morning college have already been intimated to the university officials in detail. I hope a visionary approach will prevail.’
The principal added: ‘I have briefed the university officials about the inability of both colleges to function at the same time owing to a lack of infrastructural facilities for students. The resources will be shared when we have to ensure all round development of a student as well.’
Concerns have been expressed to officials about the severe lack of space
A committee set up by Delhi University’s executive council visited the college two weeks ago, when it was briefed about the lack of facilities to operate two colleges at the same time.
According to faculty members, running two colleges simultaneously will paralyse academics as there is a massive issue of space crunch and resource sharing as a result of inadequate facilities.
Professor Naveen Gaur said: ‘We are looking at a situation of academics running into trouble and not benefiting students, neither in Dyal Singh College nor at the Vande Mataram College.
‘Up until August, the college was under heavy construction and classes were being conducted in dilapidated rooms.’