The president of Centre for Reforms, Development and Justice (CRDJ) Sh Sidharth Mishra delivered a very thought provoking talk at the principal’s workshop organized by the Academic Staff College of Jamia Milia Islamia 0n 4 March 2013. Among several other eminent speakers, the workshop was also addressed by Dr GD Sharma, former secretary of the University Grants Commission.
Given his rich experience of administering several Delhi University Colleges, Sh Mishra, on the demand of the participants, instead of his prepared lecture spoke of the challenges faced on the basis of firsthand experience. Sh Mishra has headed the governing bodies of three prominent Delhi University Colleges – Maharaja Agrasen College, Shivaji College and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.
Mr Mishra in his talk underlined the need to stand-up in defence of merit while making appointments of teachers and employees. He also mentioned that while making appointments his biggest challenge was overcome academic inbreeding and look for talent beyond the protégés of university professors on the selection committees. Mr Mishra is credited with the appointment of nearly 150 permanent lectures/assistant professors and equal number of non-teaching staff if not more, in the colleges he headed as the chairman of the governing body for more than a decade between 2001 and 2013.
‘While the infrastructure provides body to a teaching institution, the teachers and employees are the soul. An able body without a good soul cannot prosper,’ said Mr Mishra underling his point. The Director of the Academic Staff College Professor Mujtaba Khan felicitated Mr Mishra for a very different perspective on the issue.
