NEW DELHI: World-class education, a plethora of employment opportunities, over 40 multi-disciplinary programmes, numerous scholarships, over 60 industry collaborations and active placement support - these were some of the promises made by Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU).
Established in 2020 by Delhi government, DSEU had promised to offer courses to people from all walks of life and empower them by providing them with an opportunity to attain top-quality education.
However, four years later, the university is reportedly at a ‘critical juncture’ as highlighted by Director (Higher Education) Bhupesh Chaudhary’s letter to DSEU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ashok Kumar Nagawat. The university has been in shambles owing to multiple factors and has been a reason for tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP.
Written two days ago, the letter stated the university is at risk of witnessing a decline both in academic and financial standing and requires immediate action. The director has also asked the VC to submit an action taken report within three days of the receipt of the letter.
Admissions in 2023-24
The admission process at DSEU has been plagued by significant anomalies, leading to the filling of only about 40 per cent of total available seats - 4,500 admissions against 9,460 seats - for AY 2023-24.
“DSEU is not a technical University, and offering programmes such as BTech, MTech and PhD conflicts with its original mandate and with other technical Universities in GNCTD.,” the letter also highlighted.
No to AICTE approval
Unlike other technical universities, the DSEU discontinued seeking AICTE approval for its courses. This has adversely impacted students as several government jobs including in Railways, require AICTE-approved diploma courses for recruitment.
Utilisation of assets
Despite the transfer of World Class Skill Centers to DSEU, most of these facilities such as those in Bakkarwala and Wazirpur, remain vacant and unused. No public-private partnership or courses have been initiated to utilise these assets effectively. Also, despite multiple directives from the Department of Training and Technical Education, DSEU is yet to commence any short-term skill certification programmes.
Controversial appointments
The appointment of Snigdha Pattnaik as pro-vice-chancellor and Bindu Nair as deputy registrar raised concerns. Nair was previously terminated from Ambedkar University for submitting false certificates and forged documents. She allegedly secured the DSEU position through similar fraudulent means, however, no action has been taken against her till now.
infrastructure
Several complaints have been raised by students’ regarding inadequate infrastructure and academic facilities across DSEU campuses as reported to the Directorate of Training and Technical Education. Many of its campuses don’t have adequate laboratories, workshops, and library and classroom infrastructure.
Shortage of staff
DSEU has failed to recruit sufficient teaching and non-teaching staff, violating AICTE and UGC norms for the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR). Furthermore, new programmes have been introduced recklessly without properly assessing the demand and the current availability of the teaching staff.
Performance in India Skills Competition
Despite being the nodal agency for the India Skills competition in Delhi, DSEU had minimal representation in the 2024 competition, reflecting poorly on the university’s commitment to skill development. The performance of ITIs has been far better as compared to DSEU which even failed to provide any basic toolkits and training to the participants.
Challenges
DSEU is facing a looming financial and administrative crisis as evidenced by the fact that only 25 per cent grant-in-aid for the fiscal year 2023-24 has been utilised, despite an urgent need for upgrading labs, workshops and classrooms.
DSEU vice-chancellor was not available for comment.