Valson Thampu, principal of the acclaimed college, talks to MiD DAY about his pursuit of a unique apparition of education

Delhi University is going through a process of changeu00a0- in terms of policy, syllabi, admissions and mode of study. Late on Wednesday afternoon, Dr Valson Thampu, principal of St Stephen's College gave this reporter an insight into the vision of the institution, the admission policy and the unique standing of the college.


High hopes: Valson Thampu, principal of St Stephen's College
at Delhi University. PIC/Subhash Barolia

Sitting in his office, Thampu appeared tired yet firm in speech. Talking about his vision for the college he said, "I believe in three basic tenets of education - commitment to excellence, development of soft skills, and social justice. However, excellence doesn't mean academic or professional brilliance, but a human factor."

Effortless
He clears his stance on how Stephen's is unlike any other college across the university. "We do not make a conscious effort to be different. It's that we pursue a unique apparition of education. We just happen to be different. We are true to ourselves and to our goal," Thampu said.u00a0 There have been controversies in the past.

The most recent one involving MP Sandeep Dikshit, accusing Stephen's of being a communal institution appears to have had little effect on the educator. "How can he say the institution is irrelevant or communal? Who is he? I can challenge anybody under the sun who makes such a comment," Thampu said. The principal says he has high hopes of the youth. "I would like to say today's youth is extraordinarily talented. Also, they are less hypocritical than my generation, though I am not saying they are more honest. This is because they have more freedom than what we had. I think they are the victims of my generation. We have failed them as teachers, parents and guardians. We have nurtured them for a rat race. And those who even win the race are still rats," he said.

K M Mathew,u00a0 tutor for admissions at Stephen's told MiD DAY that admissions this time will be highly selective as percentage aggregates have gone up. Talking about the changed policy of the college on abolition of Christian Dalit quota, which was initiated in 2007, he said, "We have an overall total of 420 seats to offer in which there are reservations for Christians, SCs and physically handicapped. Why let a few seats go vacant if there are no applicants under them."

Mud-slinging?
A couple of days after Sandeep Dikshit called St Stephen's a communal institute, the college's supreme council and the governing body issued a clarification denouncing any "attempt to sully the fair image of the college". The statement, signed by the chairperson of the council and the governing body, Sunil Kumar Singh, mentioned that the college was against the mischievous attempt to misrepresent minority rights of the college as communal. "The Constitution of India confers on the college well-defined rights as a minority educational institution. We exercise it responsibly, in harmony with our commitment to academic excellence, and to the liberal-secular ethos of our country," Singh stated.