DU's School of Open Learning Advises Students Not to Attend Any Event Sans Registration

Delhi University’s School of Open Learning on Monday issued an advisory to students, asking them not to attend events they have not registered for, two days after a degree distribution event here was cancelled following chaos due to overcrowding.

A ’degree fair’ to distribute degrees to the students who have graduated from Delhi University was called off by the School of Open Learning on Saturday even as scores of students gathered at the venue.

It was alleged that a stampede followed as students were arbitrarily not allowed entry to the venue and the event was abruptly cancelled.

The advisory issued by the Principal of the School of Open Learning, Uma Shankar Pandey, said all present and past students should not attend any event without prior registration.

When students reach a designated venue, they are expected to be disciplined and follow the administration’s instructions, it said.

”All students and their guardians have been informed by the principal that disciplinary action will be taken against those students who are found behaving indecently either at SOL (School of Open Learning) or at any other venue they are invited to,” the advisory said.

On June 3, during the degree distribution fair of the School of Open Learning, many students reached the venue who had not registered themselves for it. As a result, a lot of trouble was faced due to unnecessary crowding, the advisory noted.

Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), a students’ organisation, described the advisory as ”yet another disgraceful attempt of the administration to not acknowledge and accept their mistake”.

Instead, the administration is again trying to put the blame for mismanagement on students to save their necks, it alleged.

”The shocking incident of a stampede on June 3 wherein many students suffered injuries is not a standalone example of mismanagement at SOL but should be seen in a chain of various failures by the administration.

”Instead of rectifying their gross mistakes, the administration is shamefully blaming the students for the stampede through the current advisory,” it said.

KYS demanded that the director and principal of the School of Open Learning be removed from their posts immediately for ”not just being responsible for the mismanagement which led to stampede but also for shamefully trying to pin the blame on students to save their neck from their political masters”.

Also, a written apology for issuing such a disgraceful advisory should be immediately issued, it added.