Several members of the Statutory Bodies of the University of Delhi have urged the university to delay the implementation of four-year undergraduate programs by one year as students have the right to know the full syllabi of these courses. The development comes days before the DU Academic Council meeting on Aug. 3 to discuss the first semester syllabi of the four-year undergraduate programs (FYUP) based on the newly introduced Under Graduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF).
In a letter to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, four members of the Academic Council, including Prof Ratnesh Saxena and Dr. Meghraj, and a member of the University Court – Aman Kumar – expressed that the UGCF-2022 is being implemented “without proper planning and vision”.
For its Aug. 3 meeting, the varsity has put on the agenda the syllabus of several departments for just one semester, which the university had planned for two semesters earlier this year, members said. The new curriculum will be introduced from the 2022-23 academic year. The Executive Council (EC), the highest decision-making body of DU, had approved the UGCF-2022 in February, as formulated by a cell of the National Education Policy.
Read: Delhi University 4 Years FYUP Introduced In This Academic Session, First Semester Syllabus Is Nearing Completion
Drafting the syllabus requires “rigorous exercise” and teachers from various colleges must be involved to ensure that future generations get the best academic knowledge according to the undergraduate degree they choose, they said. “Since the admission is offered for the whole course and not just for one semester, the students seeking admission have the right to know the full syllabi,” the members stated in the letter. “A fragmentary syllabi cannot serve the purpose and would create confusion among students seeking admission not only at the national level, but also discourage foreign students from gaining undergraduate admission at the University of Delhi,” the letter said.
Members also pointed out that 26 Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC) papers, which are approved by the Standing Committee on Academic Affairs, do not include SEC papers recommended by science, social sciences and other arts departments. This has created the impression to the university academia that this has been done to address concerns from the Department of English and that SEC papers from other departments are not being handled, they said. “Given the above, we demand that the implementation of UGCF-2022 be delayed by at least a year and that departments be given a full year to frame the full syllabi of UGCF, SEC papers of science, social sciences and arts departments should also be included in the SEC, and English should be retained as a choice in AEC papers,” the letter read.
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