Shambhu Nath Singh, vice-chancellor, Patna University

Timely academic session

Why cannot we follow academic sessions according to schedule?

— Suman, Hindi journalism student at Darbhanga House

Shambhu Nath Singh: Yes, the courses must finish on time so that students who want to pursue further studies in other universities do not have to drop an academic year. But we are facing problems on this front and it can be blamed on the lethargic attitude of the entire system. So now we are planning to have a semester system so that every six months, the course is completed and the students don’t face any problem. We are taking this matter seriously and are looking to find the best solution soon.

Practical knowledge

Students in media and journalism courses are only taught theoretical aspects, there is no exposure to practical knowledge. When can we expect to have a media lab?

— Mohammed Javed, Hindi journalism department, Darbhanga House

Journalism is a vast and very important field but still there are very few qualified teachers as postgraduation in journalism has been recently been introduced and there is hardly any institution to provide higher degrees in journalism or mass communication. I want to develop journalism into a major discipline but it is not easy to transform it into the best in a short span of time. I realise that a newsroom and a media lab are a must. I can promise that in my tenure, I will make PU one of the best media institutes in India with all modern equipment.

Stemming brain drain

Not many students want to study in PU. What is the major reason for the brain drain?

— Surbhi, BCom, Magadh Mahila College

The reason possibly is the poor infrastructure and non-availability of model programmes required by students in today’s age to compete with the students of other universities. Most universities provide them these basic things. So they move out. But now we are taking up this problem seriously and will work towards providing the best possible infrastructure besides introducing new programmes.

Out of syllabus questions

Recently in our exam we got questions which came from outside our syllabus and we were totally clueless, this creates lot of problem for us and we are not able to perform well in exams. Why is this happening?

— Roli, history honours, Magadh Mahila College

I am not really aware of this problem but if this happens, then I am really sorry and will look into the matter and would see this kind of mismanagement doesn’t happen in future.

Filling up faculty vacancies

There is huge shortage of teachers in various departments. Like the home science department has only three teachers for which we are not able to complete the syllabus on time.

— Professor Suheli of Magadh Mahila College

Yes, we are aware of this problem and we are working in this direction too. We are creating a teachers’ bank in which research scholars are included so that they can contribute to quality classes as they are fresh passouts. But at the same time, it is important to have a balanced student-teacher ratio. In many departments there are more teachers than the number of students. UGC parameters are set for it and we will be working on those lines only, bringing out modalities under which excess teachers from the department are to be shifted to departments (of same subject at the college-level) with less teachers.

Inclusion of field trips

In the history department, we request you to include project work and historical tours so that we can try to achieve Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) standards.

— Rukma, history department, Magadh Mahila College

The PU history department is quite good as compared to other universities and is regarded better than that of Banaras Hindu University. Teachers here are very learned but I think tutorial classes should be included as they are very helpful. About historical tours, I will talk to the head of the department and will sort out this issue soon.

Imposition of strict discipline

Darbhanga House faces negligence in terms of bad drainage, smoking on campus, eve-teasing and demonstrations by students’ unions are concerned. Why isn’t strict action taken on these?

— Sanjay, a student at Darbhanga House

I am quite aware of the present situation. The university will look into the matter but I feel that students should also be equally responsible. If they don’t buy smoke or marijuana, the sale will automatically stop and these bad elements will be forced to move out. If the demand dries up, the supply will automatically be weeded out. Student should be proactive and tackle these problems themselves instead of waiting for the university to take action.

Proper use of library

Classes for GS (general studies) are not held regularly and the central library also doesn’t issue books to students and teachers. So it becomes difficult for us to cope with the subject as it is a compulsory subject. We request you to look into the matter.

— Neha, a student of Magadh Mahila College

I am very much aware of the condition of the central library and we are working on improving it. But I feel that more than anyone teaching the subject, it is very important for you to study the subject yourself from various magazines and journals, which I think, is available in your college library and the professors have informed me that the college library is quite rich in terms of availability of latest magazines and journals. Students have easy access to these journals and magazines. But if you students are demanding for a permanent teacher, then we will surely look into the matter and there will be a permanent teacher for general studies soon.

Upgrade of courses

BCA classes face problem because of lack of permanent teachers. It becomes difficult for us to understand the style of temporary teachers. Moreover, the syllabus doesn’t get completed on time. We request you to look into the matter.

— Shweta BCA student, Magadh Mahila College

Developing a department is a process and I feel that BCA should be made a regular programme with permanent faculty. We will definitely look into the matter and will bring this demand forward soon.

A student of Magadh Mahila College asks a question to the vice-chancellor at the Hard Talk organised by The Telegraph. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Campus placement

We spend around Rs 65,000 to get a BBA degree but when it comes to getting campus placements, only BPO companies come for recruitment. We are not studying here to get the BPO jobs. We want placement in good companies. How is it possible?

— Pooja, BBA student, Magadh Mahila College

I think we need to revise the syllabus because companies generally look for the right syllabus and the quality of a course offered is purely based on their companies’ policy and job profile. But I will suggest you to make a good portfolio so that the companies are attracted to your qualification and in return, you can get good jobs because BBA is a very good course and is high in demand.

Vision for PU

The VC also promised to equip the campus with new technology so that the students do not lag behind their counterparts in other universities for which he promised to make Internet facility available in the library. He also promised to work on networking and creating a virtual university so that the students can learn from the professor of other universities and exchange ideas through video conferencing. However, he said it is not easy to make this dream come true as this project is quite expensive and also requires lot of time but hoped for some positive changes soon.

What had you been if you were not a teacher or academician?

— The Telegraph

If I had not been a teacher or academician, I would have been a journalist, as I had spent my golden days in journalism.

About Shambhu Nath Singh

The newly appointed vice-chancellor of Patna University, Shambu Nath Singh, prior to his appointment, had held prominent positions in a number of premier institutions in journalism, mass communication and higher education. Singh holds a PhD in mass communication from JNU.

Born on January 1, 1960, at Sultanpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, he is the son of a school teacher. Singh did his schooling from a village school and Intermediate studies from Sultanpur before shifting to New Delhi for higher studies. A journalist of repute for the last 25 years, he worked in senior positions at various media houses.

Moreover, Singh had been associated with various committees. He was a member of the sub-committee on media for communal harmony, ministry of home affairs. Singh had also been a member of the advisory panel of the Censor Board of Film Certification.
Singh is also the recipient of Sahityakar Samman for his contribution in the field of journalism. He was awarded by the Hindi Academy and has also won the Harmony Award.