Keep BTech 4-yr course for 2013-14 batch: UGC to DU
Students who have already enrolled in the BTech programmes introduced under the scrapped four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) can now heave a sigh of relief as the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) newly formed standing committee on Sunday advised Delhi University to continue teaching the BTech programmes for the batch admitted in 2013-14.
With the scrapping of FYUP, admissions for the fresh batch of students will now be held for all courses available under the earlier prevalent three-year undergraduate programme (TYUP). Thus, courses like BTech and Bachelors in Management Studies (BMS) stand scrapped as well. While a call on what has to be done with students studying BMS is yet to be taken, the UGC has recommended that the BTech course may continue for the already admitted batch if colleges obtain appropriate approval of the regulatory bodies such as the UGC and the AICTE before doing so.
The Vice-Chairman of UGC, Prof H Devaraj said, “Following the withdrawal of FYUP, under the directives of the UGC, students admitted to the various four-year BTech programmes under the colleges of the university in academic year 2013-14 have expressed apprehension regarding the nomenclature and duration of the courses to which they were admitted. Thus, the UGC’s standing committee took up this matter during its first meeting and came up with a solution.”
The solution as per UGC is that the four-year BTech programmes may continue only for the students already admitted for academic year 2013-14 after receiving necessary sanctions. “The admissions will continue for students studying the BTech programmes in Computer Science, Electronics, Food Technology, Instrumentation Electronics, Polymer Science and those courses which are covered under section 22 of the UGC Act. However, colleges under DU, which admitted students in academic year 2013-14 for these programmes, may, wherever required, obtain appropriate approval of the regulatory bodies and ensure that students admitted in these programmes are not put to any disadvantage,” added Devaraj.
Students studying BTech courses have been coming out in large numbers to oppose the university’s decision to roll back FYUP. Their main contention was that when they had been promised a BTech degree, they cannot be let away with an ordinary BSc. However, those students are extremely relieved with this recommendation of the UGC. “It would have been unethical to make us feel stuck in some course that we don’t want to do. We left behind several opportunities and came here. I hope that now this recommendation is implemented and we get to pursue our degrees without any problems. The UGC has also asked colleges to get appropriate sanctions for their courses which has cleared our doubts regarding the authenticity of the degree as well,” said Anhad Gandhi, a student of BTech in Computer Science.
Meanwhile, a few students are now fighting to keep the course for the future as well. Ansh Goyal, another BTech student from a college in North Campus said, “It is the matter of the future of a lot of children. When a course is good it should be kept. We request the university to try and implement the course for the coming batches as well.
