There is little doubt that St. Stephen’s is one of the most coveted colleges in the entire country. Thought it has long been a part of the Delhi University, the governing body of the institution is now planning to apply for the autonomous status. This move has been planned despite the opposition shown by the teachers and students of the college.
As per a member of the governing body, "The GB in-principle decided to seek autonomous status for the college." In this year’s annual budget, the central government had announced several provisions to give an increased autonomy to the education institutions in different parts of the country. Earlier this month, a committee was set up by the Delhi University for all its colleges which are looking to get a university or autonomous status.
The committee was set up keeping in mind the demands put forward by colleges including SRCC, St Stephen's, Ramjas, Hansraj and the ones run by Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee. However, a large number of students, along with the members of DUTA (Delhi University Teachers Association) started a protest against this move and demanded more debates on this before a decision is taken.
An official statement released by the DUTA said, "A petition signed by more than 500 students and 30 teachers was presented to the Governing Body by a teacher representative on the GB during its meeting. Governing Body ignored the plea and decided by a majority vote to adopt the proposal for autonomy in principle and follow the procedure laid down for consultation prior to sending the application. Four teacher representatives voted against the resolution."