If a college campus is considered as the driving force of progress in society, then what makes an educational institution worthy of being declared the best in its field? Judging by this criteria, it can not be infrastructure, facilities, or placement records alone, as is commonly believed. Any assessment of a seat of higher learning needs to take into account the existence of an enabling, nurturing environment, a level playing field for all who associate with it, and well-oiled democratic functioning. The prevalent discourse around colleges and their rankings often fails to capture these indicators of overall student well-being. It is not tenable,therefore, to make the assumption that SRCC, the premiere institution of India for Commerce and Economics, is undoubtedly endowed with the same. To arrive at any sort of conclusion regarding SRCC’s performance from this perspective, some form of analysis requires to be done, some sort of debate has to take place.
We cannot emphasize enough the need for a discussion of this nature. The fact is, that the cost of the lack of above mentioned things is not the college name or reputation, as we can well see, but the mental and emotional health of its students, and the consequent suppression of their scholastic and extra- curricular talents. Moreover, if SRites graduate with a sense of disappointment, a feeling of being cheated of the famed ‘SRCC experience’, then it is not a phenomenon that a college of ‘global choice’ should tolerate.The alarming point is, that as per the limits of our knowledge, this sentiment of a deprivation of sorts is only increasing in extent and intensity.
Therefore, if there is any evidence emerging of cracks in the pillars of SRCC’s operations (as we believe there is), the need to talk about it gains significant gravity. Are we failing to secure a nourishing, stimulating atmosphere? Are these red brick walls on the way to become roadblocks instead of catapults in the overall growth of the students? Why is this happening? Is SRCC not an inclusive space? It is only by addressing and analysing the problem that we can move towards solving it. This is exactly what this blog does.
In this platform we will discuss about certain distinctive structural features of SRCC’s social, academic and non-academic fabric. There will be attempts to discern where these patterns are emerging from, what influences them, and what their short-term and long-term impacts are. Issues like casteism, elitism, mental health of the students, academic standards and extra-curricular activities will be given priority in our discussion. We have to acknowledge that most of the problems in our college, however, are expressions of larger social issues, and occur due to the failure of the country’s educational system at large. There is no way we can talk about the problems of our college without considering this overall picture, as shall be evident in our posts.
This is not envisioned as a platform for only few of us to express ourselves. We earnestly hope that the readers of this blog will also share their observations, experiences and views about the functioning of the college by writing to us. All kinds of opinions and healthy criticisms are welcome here, as we wish to make this a representative and dynamic space. This platform will be available in both Hindi and English, and write-ups can be submitted in either of the two languages. We value contributions from both existing students and alumni of the college. Moreover, we encourage articles from non-SRites as well, since many of the issues that will be discussed here are pan-DU concerns. Secrecy of identity will be maintained for all contributors. We absolutely do not believe that what we are doing is wrong or questionable, but we have adopted this measure to promote free expression without fear of unwanted consequences.
It is important to identify here, that the aim of this blog is not to abuse, but to construct a space where people can come together to make SRCC a more supportive, and less oppressive place. As mentioned above, we are taking note of the degrading spirit of the country’s system and society which has spilled over into the grounds of its universities. Hoping to find an isolable perpetrator for this situation will be a myopic and simplified manner of looking at the state of affairs. Therefore, rather than playing an insulting blame game, we wish to trigger the recognition of a shared responsibility to discourage the practices which have their premise on unfair, undemocratic grounds. Let us come together to blow the whistle, for giving the many hopeful students who enter the gateways of our college, an experience that they deserve.
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