New Delhi, April 9 Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said her position as the first woman VC of the institute was made possible by B R Ambedkar's struggle and support for women's rights.
Pandit was speaking at the inaugural session of the 'Bheem Saptah' on Wednesday, a week-long celebration being held at the university from April 8 to 14, to commemorate the legacy and birth anniversary of Ambedkar, officials said.
She said, "Baba Saheb was the most intelligent person in modern Indian socio-political history. In fact, he was the most educated minister in the first Cabinet of independent India."
Pandit added that the academic performance of marginalized students at the university is on par with that of students from the open category, and in some centres and subjects, they have performed even better in entrance examinations.
The inaugural event of the Saptah was attended by National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairperson Kishor Makwana as the chief guest, as well as, Dravidian University (Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh) VC L G Mallaiah as the guest of honour.
Vivek Kumar, professor and dean of the School of Social Sciences at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, outlined the details of the week-long programme on the first day, which includes lectures, paper presentations by research scholars, and an essay-writing competition for BA and MA students of the university.