On India’s 74th Independence Day, the vice chancellor of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), Prof. Appa Rao Podile hoisted the National Flag at the Administration Building in the University campus, in the presence of Deans, Heads, faculty, Shri P. Sardar Singh, Registrar, Officers, students and staff. Later, Vice Chancellor’s Independence Day speech was also telecast online.

                                             

Commemorating the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Appa Rao, congratulated the University fraternity and called upon tributes to the leaders who brought us independence, and to our institutional leaders who built this excellent University, which has emerged as an Institution of Eminence. The university’s successive Vice-Chancellors have not only built but nurtured a system that has been efficient and also runs on its own steam.

Prof Podile made a special mention of the office of Students’ Welfare which is sharing information regularly with the students who stayed back in the hostels during this pandemic period.  The do’s and don’ts on Covid-19 were shared through emails, website and social media. Messages on “Thinking and Staying Positive” have been being made available. Besides, there are two counsellors always available on telephone for the students who need any kind of psychosocial guidance and support.Prof. Podile mentioned that the university faculty, staff members and pensioners have volunteered to aid the efforts of the Government in fighting the COVID-19 by contributing to the PM CARES Fund an amount of Rs: 32.84 lakhs, constituting at least a day’s salary.

“Rankings and public perception are two sides of the same coin, which directly impact our students’ Placements. There should be no room for complacency with such a series of distinctions conferred on us, including the Institution of Eminence (IoE) status.  We have a lot more to improve and much more to achieve.   We need coordinated efforts to consolidate to further increase our efficiency.  We must not rest until we become one of the top ‘global leaders’ in higher education.  Let us use the Institution of Eminence conferred on us to reach that goal,” mentioned Prof. Podile.

 

 

He also talked about the Impact of Covid-19 Study undertaken at UoH in record time. The Study was undertaken in five surrounding villages of UoH. As many as, 342 households were interviewed by 36 field investigators in a day following COVID-19 regulations.  It also reviewed how India handled the impact of 1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus) and the measures that India took to overcome the economic challenges in the post pandemic stage in the last century. The report has been submitted to UGC and uploaded on the University website.

“Should we not emerge as a world class university, Should we not be the top class multidisciplinary university in India?, Should we not aim to get recognition as a research University?” said Prof. Podile, adding that these are the three questions we need to ask ourselves daily and answer them all with a resounding ‘YES’. This will thereby prove our commitment to see UoH in the top 200 Universities in the world by the time we utilise the grant sanctioned to us in recognition of our past performance.

“I also find it worth mentioning the laudable service put in by our Sanitation Department, consisting of regular and outsourced workers, in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.  Among the activities it has undertaken, it sprayed disinfectant material at various places on the campus without much help from the GHMC, thus helping its prevention”, Prof. Podile said.Vice Chancellor, Prof. Appa Rao Podile concluded his speech by extending warm greetings of the 74th Independence Day to everyone, with tributes to our national leaders who brought this freedom for the country.

The speech of vice chancellor which was telecast online can be accessed at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne89jPtiD-U