Wednesday, Nov 16, 2022 11:15 [IST]
Last Update: Wednesday, Nov 16, 2022 05:37 [IST]
GANGTOK, : The 6th convocation ceremony of Sikkim University will be held at Manan Kendra, Gangtok on November 18 and November 20. The ceremony is being conducted for two days as a large number of students will be attending the convocation this year. The last convocation was held in 2019 before Covid-19 struck the world.
Governor Ganga Prasad, the chief rector of Sikkim University, will be the chief guest during the convocation and Chief Minister P.S. Golay the guest of honour. Sikkim University chancellor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) D.B. Shekatkar will preside over the convocation proceedings on day-1.
“Convocation is an important occasion for students, and the university at large. The ceremony calls for academic celebration and so, this year we are conducting the Convocation Week with various activities. A multi-lingual Kavi Sammelan was held on Monday, followed by lectures by eminent personalities from India on Tuesday and Wednesday. On November 17, we will conduct a grand cultural evening followed by the convocation. These events are being conducted to build momentum and celebrate the achievements of our students. This is the first time that the convocation is being conducted as a week-long event,” informed SU vice-chancellor Prof. Avinash Khare at a press meet here on Tuesday.
The last convocation was held in November 2019 wherein the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind was present as the chief guest. Thereafter, the Covid pandemic restricted many activities, functions and celebrations in the university.
This year, as many as 12,661 degrees will be given away for the years 2019-20, 2021 and 2022. A total of 3,721 students will be attending the convocation.
The first day will have two phases. In the first phase, PG, M.Phil and Ph.D students who were successful in the year 2022 will be presented degrees and medals. The second phase will be for the UG students who were successful in 2022. In the third phase on November 20, UG, PG, M.Phil and Ph.D students who were successful in the year 2019-20 will be given degrees. The final and the fourth session will be for the UG, PG, M.Phil and Ph.D. students who were successful in the year 2021.
More than 280 students will be awarded gold and silver medals. Out of 146 gold medalists, 93 are girls. Apart from gold and silver medals, nine special medals are being awarded to students – three ICAI Medal of Merit, three Prof. Sameera Maiti Gold Medals and three Sitaram Jindal Foundation Gold Medals.
As fake university certificates have become a menace in India, the university has introduced a special one-of-its-kind certificate starting this year.
“In view of this, Sikkim University has introduced the technology-based Tyvek paper certificates with the special features for degrees and provisional certificates, along with 12 other security features from this year. The features include: outstanding tear and puncture resistant paper, water and chemical resistant, light weight, UV-resistant, melts at 130-degree Celsius and doesn't work on laser printers and photocopy (Xerox) machines but can be scanned, no lamination required, long life and raises duplicity barrier. It must be mentioned here that in the entire Northeast, Sikkim University is the first university to implement such high quality certificates,” said SU controller of examination (COE) Dr. S. Murali Mohan.
The certificate was shared by the vice chancellor at the press meet.
For this convocation, Sikkim University has procured medals from the Indian government mint in Kolkatat to enhance the quality and life, it was informed.
Regarding the permanent SU campus at Yangang, registrar K.V.S. Kameshwara Rao stated that initially the university had plans to shift three non-lab departments i.e. Lepcha, Bhutia and Limboo to the Yangang campus in South Sikkim by October 17, but the departments could not be shifted due to the damage of a 10-15 km stretch of road at Yangang due to heavy rainfall.
“We are ready to shift and the departments will be shifted as soon as the road is restored. All the classrooms will be smart digital classrooms with the latest technologies and high speed internet. We will also have a digital library where students can access the library at Gangtok, online. Other facilities include a mini health centre for emergency requirements and security services like CCTV and barricade of the university premises,” said the registrar.
Departments like English and Nepali will be shifted in the second phase. By the end of 2023, all non-lab based departments will be shifted to Yangang, the VC added.
A short film on Sikkim University, made by Mass Communication department was also screened at the press meet today.
