In a country like India where every now and then people are dissatisfied with the government, made me wonder about the reason we’re all complaining. When I used to be in school, I was least informed and had no experience with government institutions and its working.
I used to debate with friends that we should put in more effort so that we can make India a better place. Once I finished school, I took admission in the School of Open Learning (SOL) in Delhi University to pursue political science (honours).
In my first year, we submitted a fee of nearly ₹3,000 under which the university was supposed to provide classes and books, every Sunday.
Once we took admission we faced a zillion problems, every student who is a part of SOL (DU) can totally relate to such issues given below:
- The books are very average and there are few classes. Most of the time, students don’t even receive a message about when they should go and collect books from the university. The by post option doesn’t really work as well.
- Those who haven’t been a part of SOL before, have no exposure or guidance and no idea about how they going to deal with exams and authorities.
- There is no facility at north campus available to the students. Those who are sitting behind stalls feel entertained when they keep sending students to various counters just for some petty work.
- Women safety and student convenience is not a concern. For example, I live in Dwarka and got my centre in the first year at Rithala, In the second year, south Delhi and in the third year, I went to Bawana.
- The results come extremely late and that ends up affecting our post-graduation plans.
- They never answer their landline numbers for any query.
But when me and one of my friends went to the university to take our migration certificates and mark sheets, we had an even uglier experience.
Once we reached north campus we were informed that we should fill a form before getting our migration certificates and after that, we would get it within a week. So apparently, we thought it might be a work of half an hour and then we can move to our respective jobs. But here a problem was waiting for us.
- They informed us that we need to make a payment of ₹500 for the migration certificate from a cyber cafe first, needed to combine the receipt with the form and then only could we submit the form.
- But after reaching the cyber cafe, we have to give exactly ₹200 more for the payment since they were doing an online payment so if we were paying by cash, we had to give exactly ₹700 for it.
- Once we reached the department for submitting the form, they told us that we have to go to various departments to get it signed.
- For instance, they made us go to the library department. Once we reached, I got to know that I had to pay a fee for late book submissions and only then would they sign.
- By that time we got done with all that, here’s what happened – one of the professors started shouting at me and said what we students think of ourselves and why we have a lot of attitude issues. He said all this in a disgusting rude voice which made me feel uneasy. I didn’t even say anything and ended up apologising, which also didn’t seem enough to him.
Here are my questions:
- Is this is the system we are living in where a student has to suffer so much just for a migration form?
- Is this is the way a professor should behave with others?
- Is this the education we are being provided by the institution?
- Where are the authorities now? How can someone harass a student like this?
- Shouldn’t the education minister take a strict action against such people?
Maybe this is why young people don’t want to be a part of something like a make in India. I wish that everyone gets the same respect. Otherwise, we won’t be successful in all these schemes that have been planned by the government.