You are the first vice-chancellor of this new university. How big is the challenge?

I am privileged to be in this institution from the very first day. I was given the responsibility to raise it to university status. It has got the status, but a lot remains to be done. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am still enjoying it.

Do you think the campus is adequate to run a university? 

From the very first day, I have said that we need much more space to build it like a model university and a centre of excellence in every aspect. The university is operating with the same infrastructure that the college had. We have expanded new PG departments with new subjects - economics, commerce, general studies, biotechnology, English, Odia and computer science.  This building is very small and we don't even have proper classrooms. We cannot expand it further. Academically, we are actually highly constrained because we have not been able to expand further. We need space. 

But how do you manage with the existing campus?

Within the existing campus, we have developed some new buildings to accommodate our activities, our auditorium and we need a good library. With the Rashrtiya Uchchatar Siksha Abhiyan (Rusa) grant, we have started new buildings. But we need many more. We don’t have a proper playground. Forty-seven colleges are affiliated to us. 

We have to encourage sports activities of the students of our university. Inter-college sports activities are to be conducted here. That’s why we need a bigger campus.  

Why don’t you start a dialogue with the government on this issue?

We need a second campus and we have taken up the issue with the state government. We have written to the government to give us at least 50 acres of land and discussed it many times at the secretary level. But nothing concrete has emerged so far. 

When we talk of gender equality, do you think that we require a special university for women? 

When the women university was declared, everyone pondered over whether or not it was needed. I would say that as gender equality has not been achieved fully, such a university is required. 

The basic objective is to give more access to education for women. Now they have more chances of getting access to higher education. In a co-ed university girls have to compete with boys. Boys are always at an advantage. To increase the girls’ access to the higher education, we have this university.

Do you think that we should impart sex education to our children? 

Yes, that is to be given at the higher secondary level and not at the school level. Basic things like understanding your body and how to discipline your body should be taught. At the university level, it is not required any more as students are by then grown up. Students only need to be aware so that they are not exploited.  

We have noticed that violence against women is on a rise. Why is it so? 

One reason is that more and more incidents are being reported. People are becoming more aware of it. But the degree of violence that is being reported now is shocking. Sometimes we are not ready to believe it. Everything depends on our education system, the kind of upbringing our kids have. We don’t have moral education embedded in our education system. At home, parents should impart moral education. When the child joins school he is the teacher’s responsibly. We have not been taught how to respect human beings. Now they have been exposed to Internet and global information network. I would blame films, electronics and the print media. I want to tell them not to sensationalise things. 

Don’t you think that teachers are also lacking in imparting right kind of education to the students? 

We cannot blame each and every teacher. What kind of system have we created for teachers to impart the right kind of education? We have polluted the system. The kind of sacred relationship teachers and students once enjoyed is missing. Earlier, a child used to be motivated by a teacher and carry his teachings lifelong. But nowadays teachers are exploiting students. Students are also misbehaving with teachers. The whole social fabric has been polluted. 

Governor S.C. Jamir and many educationists have expressed anxiety over the deterioration of education at the higher level. 

I am a part of the system and I also blame my own system. We don’t have the adequate number of quality teachers. Research takes place at the university level and teaching at the undergraduate level. Good teachers are required at the undergraduate level and good researchers at the university level. We have to frame our recruitment policy in such a way that we recruit the right people. Posts are not being filled up for the last 20 years and posts are not being created. I am managing with the young guest faculty, even though they are not up to our expectations. Our recruitment should be very prompt and quality teachers should be recruited. Research facilities and infrastructure should be adequate. 

A debate is on as to whether students’ union elections should be banned on campus. What are your views? 

In our student days, we enjoyed elections. Students should enjoy their democratic rights. I believe in that. Now we are questioning its need because college elections are turning violent. The atmosphere has been spoiled. We have to cancel elections because of political reasons. If we can stop political interference, students’ union elections can be a pleasant affair. Now every institute is scared of students’ elections. Political parties, media and the society are to blame. I am very worried about it. 

Do you face political interference? 

In administration, I have never faced any kind of political intervention. But students are being influenced by political parties. They have opened students’ wings. This should not happen. There should not be formal students wings of political parties. There is open rivalry now... As students are immature, it leads to violence. 

Should education should be imparted in the mother tongue or in English?

Higher education should not be in mother tongue because we have access to various learning resources that are mostly in the English language.

If we have it in the mother tongue, it will take ages to give updated information to students. But at the basic level, students should be strong in their mother tongue. 

They should learn English but they should be strong in their mother tongue. Getting education in mother tongue at the school level gives you confidence.

What would you have been had you not been in the teaching profession? 

I have joined the profession by choice. I was selected for the All India allied service-Indian Economic Service. I would have been there.