Indore (Madhya Pradesh): PhD candidates, who were bound to receive degree at the hands of President Droupadi Murmu, were in for a shock when they came to know that the first citizen of the country is going to award only medals to toppers and not degrees during the convocation at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) to be held on September 19.
The candidates, who had come to participate in rehearsal for convocation, expressed their anger to the university authorities when they were informed about the arrangements for the convocation. Researchers voiced their concerns directly to vice chancellor Prof Renu Jain, expressing their displeasure and discussing the possibility of boycotting the ceremony altogether.
In an attempt to address the issue, Jain contacted Rashtrapati Bhavan, requesting a change in the ceremony schedule to allow the President to distribute degrees also. However, officials from the President's office firmly rejected the request, stating that Murmu typically only awards medals during convocation ceremonies, not degrees. In response, the researchers petitioned Chancellor Mangubhai Patel to present the degrees instead. Discussions on this matter are currently ongoing, with no final decision made. The convocation, which honours students of 2022-23 session, is set to take place on September 19 at 3 pm. A total of 46 meritorious students will receive gold and silver medals, while 160 researchers are expected to receive their degrees.
Monday's rehearsal, held at 2 pm, lasted for an hour and ended with the researchers meeting the Vice Chancellor to reiterate their appeal. Collector Asheesh Singh was also approached for assistance, but discussions with the President’s office confirmed that the President will only present medals to 25 out of the 46 selected students due to time constraints. DAVV media coordinator Chandan Gupta confirmed that while discussions were held with the VC and the collector about including the degree distribution in the ceremony, no changes to the established schedule have been made. In an additional complication, it was revealed that the seating arrangement on stage has also faced adjustments.
While originally nine people were supposed to be seated, permission has now been granted for only eight. The list includes the President, Chancellor, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, urban development minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, water resources minister Tulsi Ram Silawat, higher education minister Inder Singh Parmar, Union minister of state Savitri Thakur and vice chancellor Dr Renu Jain. The chair for Registrar Ajay Verma has been removed from the stage seating arrangement. He, however, will coordinate the programme and propose vote of thanks.
