BHOPAL: Barkatullah University is all set to go out of its way and spend Rs 10 lakh to hold a special function to award degree to its former and ‘special’ student on October 31. The university will confer M Tech degree and honorary degree on Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at a special function. He did M Tech from the university in 1987-88. The function will come a month after BU had organized its annual convocation in September, in which incidentally many students were not given degree citing several reasons. Cut up with the decision, Nikhil Sahu, a student said, “I was not given degree as I did not have convocation robe.
I was given the raw deal despite I paid the university Rs 500 for robe.” Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had recently written a letter to the Centre, urging to help him get degree certificate. On his request, Union ministry of external affairs wrote to BU asking to provide his degree. BU went a step ahead by announcing to conduct a special convocation for him with a budget for Rs 10 lakh. The special convocation would be held at university’s Gyan Vigyan Bhawan. Teachers said instead of spending such huge amount, BU should have spent money for betterment of the university.
He could have been provided the degree by hardly spending Rs 1,000, they said. “There are several scholars in university teaching department (UTD) who have not been paid their amount on time owing to host of reasons. There has been an urgent need to improve infrastructure in different departments. Instead of considering issues, BU is ready to spend huge money on a convocation of a single man,” said a senior professor of the university. Even students objected to the decision of the university. “There are several people, who did their studies from BU and went on to become celebrities in their life. It is nothing, but a waste of money,” Vidya Prakash, a student said. When contacted, vice-chancellor MD Tiwari justified the decision.
