An Open letter to AUD community

The letter has written by M.phil students of Ambedkar University, Garima and Rashmi Bala in the wake of an uproar over the medium of examination for its entrance exams.

Newslaundry publishes the letter in its entirety.

It has again proved that “our” Ambedkar University has two sets of teeth- one to show off and the other to chew with.

Ambedkar University, Delhi which is governed by Delhi state government, whose 85% seats are reserved for Delhi-ites. On Friday, 24th March, 2017, Progressive and Democratic Students Community (PDSC), which is a Students Front in AUD of marginalized students coming from the lower strata of the society, protested in front of VC office. They had various demands including the entrance exams paper of MA, MPhil and PhD should be printed in at least state languages of Delhi (Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi), implementation of language cell (which is still a lie from the University’s side that a language cell exists) on two level on a very basic level and on the academic level which should be departmentalized on the school level as well so all the departments should have their own language instructors, the seminar in all departments should also be in Non-English languages as well (today around 99% seminars and lectures happen in English language only), implementation of translation cell and until and unless a student does not become capable in writing in English, should given a right to submit their assignments, presentation, exams and dissertation in their own language (for now at least in the Delhi’s state languages which are Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi). With the above demands, we submitted our demand charter to VC sir which was submitted to him in a very procedural manner on 20th Feb., 2017. We demanded a written response from him on the demand charter.

This protest was the voice of the marginalized students coming from the lower strata of the society. But our VC sir immediately was offended after hearing our slogan “VC Murdabad”. However, one of our members still tried to talk to him to have a dialogue with us but he gave an excuse that he will talk to only and only elected body of student council. We would like to ask our VC sir. Sir, can’t you see the survey report on language issue (which consists the data/experience of 410 students of AUD) submitted to you by PDSC? Can’t you see the dropout rate of SCs, STs and OBCs in this campus? Can’t you see the situation of constitutional reservation for SC, ST & OBC in recruitments in that  university  which runs on the name of Dr. Ambedkar?  Here we are sharing again providing you the same facts which we already given to you but you wasn’t bother about  to talk to marginalized students of your university. “Note 1:  From the survey conducted by PDSC based on language, it clearly comes out that 70.5 % of the students comes from the schools with fee more than Rs 1000 whereas a total of 53.8% students comes from highly expensive schools (with a fee of Rs 2000 or more), only 12.4% students (adding general category) comes from schools that charges fee of Rs 0-200 per month.  From Schedule Castes (SC) community, 43.90% students come from the schools that charges fees of Rs 0-200 per month. Among OBC and  ST category, this figure is 14.5% and 18.1% respectively.  Among the general category students, this figure is as low as 7%. These figures clearly highlight the fact that most of the students coming to Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) are of ‘upper’ caste and are of upper class. The students belonging to the upper class and ‘upper’ caste have hegemony over academic and cultural spaces of Campus.

Note 2: The previous Parcha issued by PDSC, we also see how the university academic council is hegemonized by ‘upper’ caste faculty. Among the permanently working professor and associate professor in AUD there was no teacher from Dalit, OBC and ST category. Even among the Assistant Professors, the percentage of SC (12.3%) in concerned posts is lesser than the percentage prescribed by the constitution. The greater shame is that in the entire university there is not a single faculty from the OBC category working in a permanent position at all the posts. Among the total 44 faculty working in the temporary basis there are only 2 that belongs to OBC and 2 belonging to Dalits. Even when we look at the non-teaching employees in permanent post, all seats are occupied by ‘Upper’ Caste people. On the other hand, on the temporary posts, from a strength of 109 employees there are a total of 13 Dalits and 12 OBC whereas there are no one from Schedule Tribes.”

Since the last five years students are raising the issue of language and in the last 8 months we have conducted an empirical research in AUD on language and how the students are facing discrimination on the basis of language. Doesn’t this data give you any unease VC sir? For your convenience, we again here are providing you the summary of that data “The language related survey conducted by PDSC tells us that the language is a fundamental problem of 66.6 % Dalits, similarly 33% ST students face the same issue. The figure related to the Dalits increase further when we look at students from government schools and cheap school charging fee of Rs 0-200/month, the data tells us that 82.3% Dalits students face language problem. Also, the students from the General category, studied fundamental in the most cheapest schools, face the language related problem in 66.6% cases. This clearly states that the mandatory requirement of English language is stopping students to complete their degree courses.”

You could not give your precious time to have a dialogue with us? You are ignoring all these issues by just saying that you will only have a dialogue with student council (which is only one year old and trying to find its own identity and legitimacy in this campus) on this issue? Sir, sorry but you totally shows your Brahmanical & elitist arrogance when you easily ignored language based discrimination which nourishes the caste, class & gender based discrimination in the university life of AUD. Due to this reason alone Dalit and oppressed students think to drop the courses and many actually drop the courses just because of this reason. We are also quoting here the experience of Dalit women student of MA, when she feel alienated and lonely in university because of her Hindi medium background & you refused to talk to student like her on 24th, March, 2017. She writes, “No doubt AUD teachers are very good and cooperative but is it true in case of all teachers? Strictly NO. Here are some teachers also who believes Hindi speaking people does not have ability to do anything and they treat them very badly, whenever you ask any question or doubt in Hindi language they scold you without any reason and says you don’t do this you don’t do that. How can I do your assigned work on time until and unless you don’t clear my doubt? If you attend class they treat you like alien (bad behavior) and if you don’t take class even then they treat you badly and scold you. You give work to do only but you are forgetting that we came to learn here so it’s your responsibility to teach us how to do that. And sometimes I feel lets drop the course because of this kind of alienation and because I am not speaking English properly. Even sometime I feel they teacher are willing that you Hindi speaking student don’t deserve our class and leave the college. Might be I am wrong but what I am facing that I wrote here. I request to admin of this forum please maintain privacy for this information.

• Experience of a Dalit woman of MA”

This is the same University that organizes Ambedkar Memorial Lecture at India International Centre (IIC) every year, this is the same University that organized the performance of Ginni Mahi, a Dalit Punjabi singer. It is very depressing that mostly the privilege students those who show their “huge concerns” on “oppressed identities” in classrooms from Ambedkar to Marx to Spivak to Butler and what not, they write on oppressed identities by making them their subject (to sell in this academic world). For instance, recently during the CPSH elections, few candidates recognized language problem in a sensitive manner in their manifestos. We praise their initiative that they recognized our issues. But the question is that are our issues only limited to the manifestos?

At last, “our” Ambedkar University definitely would organize talks and seminars about Ambedkar and will remember Ambedkar but only in English. You would definitely find pictures of Ambedkar in VC’s office, in all over University’s space but it will never be an issue whether Dalits, Adivasi and OBCs students are able to come to this University or not. It does not even matter how they are surviving in this campus. Whether their grades are reduced or they are repeating the course or even leaving this campus because of hegemony of English language. But it does not affect them because Ambedkar is “alive”. Ambedkar is “alive” in the photos of VC sir’s office, Ambedkar is “alive” in English academic discussions. But, our VC sir does not have any responsibility if that community is “alive” about which Ambedkar talked to educate, agitate and organize. VC sir totally ignores these students when they organize themselves with their agitation to put forward their point through empirical research and he disrespects Dr. Ambedkar in this context. When we asked for our rights, VC sir’s egoistic and Brahmincal behaviour says that “I will meet only the “elected student council”.

So, “our” University accepts that discrimination happens on the basis of caste but only “outside” of “our” Ambedkar University. That is why, it is necessary to spread “awareness” but only “outside” of Ambedkar University. That is why; they organize the performance of Dalit Punjabi singer, Ginni Mahi Ji. That is why, it is “necessary” to organize Ambedkar Memorial Lecture at IIC exclusively in English.

Note: if anyone has their suggestions, comments or disagreements all are welcome. You can contact us on garima.16@stu.aud.ac.in, rbala.16@stu.aud.ac.in