DU faculty criticize two structures proposed for four-year UG program

Faculties on Saturday criticized two proposed structures for the four-year undergraduate program sent by the University of Delhi to its colleges and said they were different from what had been adopted by the academic board and the executive board. of the University.

The right-wing National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF), members of the academic council and elected representatives of the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) belonging to the NDTF wrote to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh to express their resentment.

In any case, the flagship three-year courses of the UG Honors of the DU are not diluted either in terms of academic content or in terms of the number of credits. The Academic Council approved 196 credit hours for a four-year degree and 148 credit hours for a three-year degree. However, in the proposed structures, the credit hours are reduced to 184 and 140 respectively in one alternative, and 164 and 124 credit hours in the second alternative, ” NDTF said.

Faculties said what was approved by the academic council is different from what was sent to colleges for feedback.

The two new course structure alternatives offered have reduced the total number of credits in the three-year specialization courses and, as a result, will also lead to a dilution of course content as well as workload or teaching positions. , they said in their letter.

“A course structure that protects both need only be taken into account,” he said.

In one of the new structures offered, all the courses of the disciplinary center (DSC) and the general elective exams (GE) are reduced to four credits instead of six credits and there is no place for practical courses. , said the teaching staff.

“This is a dilution of academic content as well as a reduction in the teaching workload, therefore rightly rejected by NDTF,” they said.

“One of the negative implications of the proposed frameworks is that the overall workload of the different subjects in UG colleges will change and can be reduced significantly during the first three years. It will also cause a fluctuation in the workload and, therefore, negatively affect the reservation list of teaching posts and, therefore, the regularization process, ”the letter said.

Mithuraaj Dhusiya, member of the Academic Council, said that if any of these new models of national education policy were implemented, “we would see a massive reduction in the workload and loss of livelihoods. a large number of existing ad hoc teachers at the University of Delhi ”. The Left-affiliated Democratic Teachers Front also expressed reservations about the two proposed structures and wrote a letter to Singh listing their objections.

In Model 1 (with 184 credits), the Mandatory Capacity Improvement Course (AECC) was diluted into the Capacity Improvement Course (AEC). So the mandatory component has been removed, ” he said. This means a loss of workload and the displacement of teachers belonging to the language departments and the EVS department. It is important to note that the Supreme Court of India, in its judgment of 11.22.91, requested the central and state governments to compulsorily teach environmental education to all students of schools and colleges in India. ” , said the Democratic Teachers’ Front. The number of AECC credits has been reduced from four to two each semester, faculty said, adding that this will reduce the workload on language departments and the EVS department.

We are once again witnessing a loss of workload and a displacement of ad hoc teachers. Even though the model increases class time, it wastes students’ time in diluted courses like value-added courses. The template does not list possible courses in this category, ” they said in the letter. Expressing their views, they stated that these two drafts do not contain provisions for the courses of the program – BA, BCom and BSc.

The one adopted by the academic council incorporated these courses under a different nomenclature. The courses in the program are among the most popular courses for students. Removing them will result in a reduction in the actual choice of students and the workload of teachers teaching these courses, ” they said in the letter. The Executive and Academic Boards of the University of Delhi adopted the proposal to implement the four-year undergraduate programs as part of the National Education Policy from 2022 to 2023. While the NDTF supports the implementation implementation of the policy, teachers’ organizations affiliated to the left opposed its implementation and demanded that it be overturned.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)