Chandigarh,June 29:As the summer vacation is coming to close in early July the momentum for the central status to PU is also gaining new impetus. Today seven representatives of PU Market Welfare Association (MWA) joined the chain fast with regular batch of teachers and students demanding central university status for Panjab University.
When asked from Sukhbir Gupta, President, MWA that how central status to PU will help their business, he said that when quality higher education would become affordable even for the lower middle class and poor parents, the number of students on the campus would increase in a big way and so would be the number of teachers to teach them and employees to handle expanded administration.
PU market is otherwise closed to outside people. It is bound to flourish along with the expansion of the University, claimed Sh Gupta. Citing example of implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota for students’ enrolment in the forth-coming academic session, Sh Gupta said that PU is already striding towards emerging as a lighthouse of higher education for the entire region.
Sh Sudhyan Negi, a research scholar from the department of Sociology was forthright on the urgency of recognizing central status to PU by the political parties as by the legal parameters PU is already central institute and the proof of the same is the implementation of 27 per cent OBC quota under the direction of MHRD. Also Panjab University, like other central universities, is already implementing ST reservation in the recruitment of students. A large number of ST students from the neighbouring states, including from the North East avail this benefit.
Rajesh Kumar, Lecturer in Women Studies stated that the provision of huge amount of funding from the Union Government for research and teaching on SC/ST and other sections of society at the margin (OBC, Minorities), once materialised, would give a big boost to the development of Panjab University as a centre for social inclusion.
Dr Baijnath Prasad, Lecturer in Hindi, showing his trust in the collective efforts of PU community admitted that for us it is a battle of “Do or Die”.
Those who sat on the fast for today two teachers were Baijnath Prasad, department of Hindi, Rajesh Kumar, from Women Studies, and three research scholars, Sudhyan Negi (Sociology), Harnam Singh (Physical Education), and Manjinder Pal Singh (UIET). Sh Sukhvir Gupta, President Market Welfare Association joined the chain fast along with other members, Shiv Dayal Narang, Moti Lal, Hans Raj, Swaranjit Singh, Subhash Chander and Vishwajeet (Bhola).