The Delhi University Teachers’ Association has rejected the proposed undergraduate curriculum framework that the university had released keeping in line with the National Education Policy.
In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, the DUTA said the proposed structures are different from what was passed in the Academic Council and the Executive Council of the university.
In the new proposal, there is a reduction of credits for award of three years honours degree, which will translate to a loss of direct teaching hours for students, leading to academic dilution. The association added that the changes or decrease of teaching workload would lead to job loss and hence was not acceptable.
“The University of Delhi has faced too many structural and course revisions in the last decade. These hurried and unmindful changes have led to ad hocism, instability and dilution of academics in the name of reforms. Therefore, the university needs to be careful and do proper consultations on curriculum framework with detailed syllabus among all the stakeholders,” the DUTA said.
Opposes online courses
It added that DU’s three-year flagship honours should continue to be offered and opposed the introduction of online courses for compulsory credits to obtain a degree.
“Face-to-face teaching as well as peer group learning is very important for teaching-learning process in a classroom situation. It has no replacement, especially in countries like India which have a large population of first generation learners and join institutes of higher education for regular courses,” the DUTA said.
It also opposed the option of multiple exits after first and second year and said that there seems to be no benefit of this scheme and it may dissuade students from completing their graduation. The DUTA asked the university to withdraw the proposed undergraduate curriculum framework and discuss the matter in the statutory bodies for further strengthening the framework already passed by the Academic Council.