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Students, who are suspected to be ABVP activists, vandalized the administrative block of Mohanlal Sukhadia University (MLSU) on Monday in protest against vice-chancellor Sunita Mishra's comment praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb as a "good administrator" while speaking on an international seminar organized by the university on Sept 12 at the university campus.

In her 23-minute speech at the seminar, Mishra discussed a range of subjects that varied from Maharana Pratap and Prithviraj Chauhan to the Mughal period. Referring to Aurangzeb's administrative skills too, while discussing the "mixed legacy of history,".

A student leader meet was conducted with Registrar VC Garg. The students cleared out after Garg promised them that their issues would be settled. Mishra, appointed vice-chancellor in Aug 2023 under former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's tenure, stood up for her comments.

"Yes, I declared that Aurangzeb was a good administrator-but my words don't stop here. My second statement was that he is the one who is responsible for the rift created by his policies such as jaziya (taxation of non-Muslims). A part of my speech was selectively highlighted by the ABVP, a section of university teachers and some right-wing organizations as a part of a propaganda to get me out of the job," Mishra said to TOI on Monday.

She added that in her address, she also lauded Maharana Pratap, Prithviraj Chauhan and Emperor Akbar, "according to what our historians have concluded."

Regarding Monday's vandalism, she added, "This is the work of ABVP goons who wanted to inflict physical injury on me. I have instructed the police not to be soft on them. Let's see if they take action or not."

Mishra, who hails from Odisha, is a professor at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University in Lucknow and is on deputation to work as VC of MLSU.

DoSEL or Department of School Education & Literacy, under the Ministry of Education, is conducting a five-day capacity-building program for master trainers. The program starts from 15th September and will end on 19th September 2025 at Deen Dayal Upadhyay State Institute of Rural Development, Lucknow. This initiative marks a significant step to empower Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) wardens nationwide with the right skills that are required for effective management, safety, and holistic development in residential girls schools.

What are DoSEL and KGBVs?

The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) is the central body under India’s Ministry of Education responsible for shaping and implementing policies and programmes for universal access to quality school education. Its mission involves not only academic development but also provision of equitable opportunity and inclusion particularly of disadvantaged groups throughout the country. One of its major initiatives is Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), a system of residential schools established to provide free, safe, and holistic education for girls from marginalized backgrounds, particularly in rural areas. KGBVs aim at assisting girls who would otherwise not access education with a focus on academic, personal, and social development.

National Drive Girl Child Welfare

In this program, master trainers are being equipped to conduct training sessions of wardens in India. The principal purpose will be to empower school leadership, to promote safe learning conditions, and to assist in guaranteeing physical and emotional health of girl students.

Leadership Involvement and Significant Messages

The inauguration featured video addresses by Shri Sanjay Javin, Secretary, DoSEL, and Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi, Joint Secretary, DoSEL. Prof. Shashikala Wanjari, Vice Chancellor, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), and Ms. Sudha Meena, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Education, graced the occasion. All the people who  spoke, stressed the importance of warden roles that are one of the key elements deciding the nature of an inclusive environment, safety, and empowering residential schools for girls.

Program Highlights

1. The training involves management, child safety, leadership and holistic support of students.
2. Curriculum, structured modules and participatory learning methods are designed by NIEPA and DoSEL collaboratively.
3. It is projected that this capacity-building effort will benefit more than 5,000 KGBV wardens across more than 30 states and union territories. 

National Impact and Vision 

This program plays a key role in ensuring that the government continues to commit to quality education and safe schooling to the girls. DoSEL will provide KGBVs with further inclusive education, leadership, and empowerment in rural India by developing the skills and knowledge of school wardens.

The school wardens are an important part of best practice and long-term holistic growth of students; this also corresponds to the aims of equity and safety in education as set out in the National Education Policy.

In a fresh move, IIT Kharagpur will now offer its four-year BS (Bachelor of Science) course in Bengali, with a consideration for the students who speak the language from India, Bangladesh and even worldwide and accord priority to the National Education Policy 2020.

Statement By IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty

"Now the need and significance of modern courses such as Artificial Intelligence or AI, Data Science, and Electronic Systems are great. They can be completed online or through NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning). This time we have initiated offering these courses in Bengali," IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty explained.

As the director states, if one studies the courses for four years, they will be awarded a BS degree (which is equivalent to BTech and BSc). There is also the benefit of obtaining a diploma or certificate degree through short courses, which will also be available in Bengali.

Earlier this year, there were discussions between IIT Kharagpur Director Chakraborty and IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti on how to jointly manage these BS degrees or NPTEL courses. After the discussion, a team from IIT Madras' NPTEL and BS programmes at high level visited IIT Kharagpur last Friday to hold a meeting.

Sources indicated that the matter of imparting the BS (Bachelor of Science) course in local or regional languages ​​via NPTEL was debated, with consideration for the interest of the students from marginalised sections and those who are not proficient in English. Professor Chakraborty suggested that IIT Kharagpur is interested in providing BS degree, diploma and certificate courses in AI, Data Science in the Bengali language. Likewise, he also suggested translating the courses into the Bengali language.

But the technical portion will also have to be taught in English. In accordance with the IIT Kharagpur director, the institute possesses qualified professors to translate and educate such courses into Bengali. They are very adept in Bengali as well as English.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Sunday stated that it is only possible for India to become a developed country through women education and self-reliance.

Inaugurating the first National Conference of the Parliament and State/UT Legislatures' Committees on Empowerment of Women here, he reasserted that women-led growth on the basis of women empowerment and child well-being is the cornerstone of India's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

The two-day workshop on the subject 'Women-led Development for Viksit Bharat' with a special focus on 'Gender Responsive Budgeting' and 'Empowering Women to Meet Challenges of Emerging Technologies' is being hosted by over 20 states' representatives.

The deliberations will be to strengthen women's leadership, voice in governance, presence on the board, and accelerating the vision of an India where women are not only beneficiaries but lead designers of national advancement.

The Speaker emphasized that Tirupati Conference sends a very clear and strong message that empowerment of women and child welfare are not add-on issues but the very pillars of national development. Drawing attention to women's leadership at Panchayat to Parliament levels, on inclusive laws and policies, and on economic emancipation for all women, the conference takes a bold step forward to realize the vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047, he asserted.

Om Birla also stressed further that empowerment of women is not a trial but a process occurring through and through with inclusive policies for all the needs of women throughout the stages of life. He stressed the importance of enacting the involvement of women from the Panchayat level to Parliament, since empowerment of the position of women at policy-making and law-making bodies would help address the problems and challenges faced by women over centuries.

As India enters the Amrit Kaal, Nari Shakti too is becoming an unbeatable force which is leading the nation towards empowerment and inclusivity, he further stated.

The status, voice, and role of women in every sphere of national life are not only questions of justice but the very cornerstone of inclusive and sustainable development, he stated. As India is making rapid and consistent progress in education, science, administration, technology, industry, and innovation, the status and secure future of women would determine the pace and character of national development, he stated further.

He added that Indian women have done wonderfully well in every field of life—starting from space exploration to science and technology, from sports to writing, and from grass-root politics to national leadership. Indian women have been made Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Speakers, and lawmakers, and this is a matter of great pride and an indication of the country's faith in women's leadership, Om Birla said.

Describes this change, the Speaker has called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam a constitutional amendment of historical significance that gave institutional shape to this revolution. He recalled with pride that it was the first Bill to be cleared in the new Parliament building, ensuring reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. This landmark legislation is not just symbolism, enfranchising women with a seat in government and bringing in a new generation of women politicians to lead the nation into the future.

He also spoke of the fact that Committees on Empowerment of Women at state and national levels work in a non-party setup and have also the extremely crucial job of scrutinizing deeply the laws, policies, and schemes so they are effective and all-encompassing. The recommendations, he stressed, should be such that the poorest child and the poorest woman in the remotest corners of the country have access to health, education, technology, and development.

The inaugural session was graced by Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh; Chairperson, Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women, D. Purandeswari; Speaker, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, C. Ayyannapatrudu; and Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, Koyye Moshenu Raju; Government of Andhra Pradesh Ministers, Members of Legislative Assembly and Council and Chairs and Members of Committees on Empowerment of Women of Parliament and State/UT Legislatures.

The education department of Arunachal Pradesh has provided a stern and immediate directive to all teachers who were transferred this year to report to work in their new position and have no further delay. It is an order issued on Saturday by the education commissioner Amjad Tak towards hundreds of teachers who have not yet relocated to their new workstations even after the state government issued a transfer notification in July. 

What Happened?

On July 20, the Arunachal government gave the directive of transferring and posting of 203 teachers in the whole of the state. The action was to control and simplify the educational workforce of the state. Many teachers, however, who preferred to remain in the schools they were in did not accompany their new placements. Others cited health reasons, or a need to stay with spouses, turning in medical certificates or joint posting requests.

Strict Orders from the Top

Commissioner Amjad Tak has now clarified it: 

• Transferred teachers should be relieved by all district education officers at once so that they may be in their new schools at least. 
• A report of compliance by districts should be given, giving the name of transferred teachers, their present post, the date in which they left their former schools, and the very date on which they were employed at their present ones. 
• Teachers are also given a deadline to submit the report.  The reports should be submitted to the department by Monday “without fail”. .

What Will Happen when Teachers Do Not Transfer?

The circular threatens that the officers or district heads permitting delays or disregarding the new orders are to be dealt with sternly according to the service rules. It is clear that the education department means business when it declares that non-compliance is not an option. 

Why Is This Big News?

In the recent past, non-joining teachers have created big problems in areas such as West Kameng where the student parties  even threatened to bandh (strike) against shortages of teachers. It is only after local MLAs promised to refer the issue to higher authorities that that bandh was cancelled in search of a quick solution. The new crackdown is perceived as a direct reaction to the student and parent agitation, and the department is trying to fill the classrooms and continue learning.

What This Means for Arunachal Schools?

The education department is likely to increase the number of teachers in remote and understaffed schools with this move, which means that the children in state schools will not be missing lessons because of staff shortages. The migration also sends a stern message to the government system to adhere to, having the welfare of the students at the center stage. 

Several hours after the unions of Delhi University (DU) employees had a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh to discuss the matter of non-fulfilment of SC/ST Reservation (NFS), fresh charges erupted in several departments of DU. During Friday's executive council (EC) meeting, the matter was raised as a stinging question regarding the Parliamentary Committee for SC/ST's strong criticism of DU's handling of the issue of reservation.

The registrar responded that the committee merely makes recommendations and is unable to force appointments. Specialists are of the opinion that the persistence of such cases is a testament not only to the non-existence of a robust, dynamic movement on the streets but to some mindset on the part of those in charge as well.

To explore the considerations for the criteria for identifying journals for scholarly use towards maintaining standards as well as conformity with the university's academic and research missions was also conducted.

Responding to this agenda, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a senior executive council member, said, "When this agenda for placing the guidelines for discussion of the college journal before the consideration of today came up today, I objected to it immediately, raising 'point of order'. How does this academic matter come up for consideration before the executive council when we do not bring it before the academic council first? This is willfully going around the body of AC. DU VC was forced to place this in front of AC."

Another issue that was raised during the zero-hour meeting was regarding the regularisation of two ad hoc teachers in Germanic and Romance Studies department.

In this regard, some members vehemently opposed the anti-teaching stance of the university in pursuing an SLP on September 3, 2025, against the High Court directive.

He has declared, "The SLP filed in the case of ad hoc teachers completely goes against the positive step in the letter to the UGC supporting regularisation. It creates serious doubts about the seriousness of the university administration towards fulfilling the demands of contractual employees."

Simultaneously, Dhusiya also spoke about, "I protested strongly against the DU's move to file an SLP against the relief given by the court to Namita Khare and others in the matter of regularisation. I requested the university to withdraw the SLP and regularise all working ad hoc colleagues. VC flatly refused. There has to be a tough movement on the roads to compel DU to do so.".