The race for admission to the coveted Delhi University will begin today and the administration has made several changes this year in admission guidelines to make the process simpler.
A year has passed since the much-debated four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) was introduced in the university, but the structure of the programme remains untouched this year. However, the university only recently included six more applied courses for the second and third year students in collaboration with the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC).
Sources in the university say that most students have liked the FYUP. Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh informed that according to a survey conducted in the university almost 80 per cent students were praising the programme, which has been criticised by many. “The survey was anonymously conducted in all the colleges of the university and students have embraced the structure very well. One thing that the FYUP has done is that it has created more opportunities for students and they acknowledge that. Students who in the earlier three year undergraduate programme would have pursued a BA Pass degree are now studying a proper subject. Now even if they want to leave after three years they will have a Bachelors degree which is far more credible than a BA Pass. We only look at students doing Honours, but only 20 per cent of students in DU do an Honours degree. The rest used to go for BA Pass,” he said.
The programme has also promoted practical education which a lot of students have liked. Officials from the university said that blackboard teaching needed to stop so that students gather skills along with knowledge.
Since the programme is only a year old, most students are waiting to see how the Discipline-II courses do. A student from South Campus said, “So far the programme is doing well. Though there are a few foundation courses which many students don’t like but the majority is okay with them. Everyone is eagerly waiting for the DC-II courses. However, I think the new batch of FYUP will be more organised.”