Over 100k get degrees at 100th DU convocation

Delhi University (DU) held its 100th convocation on Saturday when 138,020 undergraduate and postgraduate students who completed their course in 2023, and 659 PhD students, received their degrees. Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was the chief guest, also presented a gold medal to nine students.

DU officials said that this year’s degrees have 17 security features that make them hard to forge. “The degrees will have the name of the student’s mother along with a colour photo of the student. The degrees also have currency notes on them, making them difficult to copy,” said Yogesh Singh, vice chancellor of the university. The degrees were digital, not physical, and were transferred online to students, the same as last year, according to a DU official.

The University of Delhi was established in 1922 with four colleges affiliated to it — Hindu College, St Stephen’s College, Zakir Husain Delhi College, and Ramjas College. Now in its 101st year, the university has 91 affiliated colleges.

The convocation dresses this year also featured multiple colours. UG students wore yellow stoles, PG students wore turquoise stoles, and PhD students wore red stoles. All stoles had a golden border along with the university logo and the shatabdi or the 100th-year logo on both sides. “Officers wore purple stoles and principals and heads of departments wore maroon stoles,” Singh added. Last year, the university asked students to ditch Western attire for Indian attire.

In his address to the students, Vice President Dhankhar said that learning is a lifelong process that does not end with a degree. “You are the architects not only of your own destiny but also of our shared future. The India that awaits you offers equal opportunities to all, giving you a platform to move forward based on your talent and hard work. In the contemporary canvas of society, opportunities are now determined by merit and not by patronage,” he said.

The DU official cited above said that while the degrees were digital, the students were awarded medals and physical awards on the platform. “This time, 207 medals and awards were given of which 173 were gold medals and certificates and 34 were award certificates. The total number of students who received these was 167,” added the official.

Four books were also released on the occasion. “One book was a compilation of extracts from all previous convocation addresses by chief guests and key members. Another book was on the logos of all the colleges under DU, including their meaning and history. The latter has a Hindi translation as well,” the official said.