JNU Plans to Set Up Special Centre To Study 1947 Partition, Says Vice Chancellor

New Delhi: JNU Vice Chancellor, Santhishree Dhulipudi Pandit has informed that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is now planning to set up its own special “School of Indian Studies” and a “School of Indian Languages” for partition studies on campus ground.

Talking about the new centers, the Vice Chancellor of JNU stated that the center will be established to study the 1947 partition in depth to fill the historical gaps. The varsity is now preparing to submit the proposal for this initiative to the UGC and Ministry of Education for approval

With this step, the JNU’s School of Indian Studies and Indian Languages will offer students an opportunity to learn about the major events and various aspects of the 1947 partition along with the story of common people who were affected by the events.

Informing about this initiative, JNU VC said, "Higher Education institutions should fill up the gaps in history. Putting up exhibitions is good but they are temporary. So we suggested that as a contribution, JNU should have a special center on partition studies".

The centers will teach “refugee studies” to students and offer knowledge about the situations where people are forced to relocate. "We want to bring out the knowledge of ordinary people. We need to study the letters written by people who experienced the partition," she added.

After receiving approval from higher authorities, the university will start with the actions required to set up the center on the campus. It will be named after the first home minister of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel or Jan Sangh founder Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

Speaking at an Idea exchange session, the vice chancellor informed that the university is also thinking of introducing some online courses in various disciplines to students, especially MA in Political Science and MA in Public Administration and in Business Economics.

In addition to this, the university is also planning to introduce new JNU courses which will focus on various aspects of the 1947 partition. Once receiving approval from the council, the authorities are expected to release the new courses for upcoming sessions.

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