With the University Grants Commission (UGC) not coming out with a clear picture on whether Delhi University received mandatory approvals for the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) or ‘four-year itch’ (as its naysayers call it) or not, and with the Academics for Action and Development (AAD) putting up a poser about the Visitor’s formal approval for the same, the pitch on FYUP still stands queered.
The programme, which is now under scrutiny for breaking laws under the National Policy of Education, was implemented last year after several deliberations in the top ranks of the university. Sources claim that if the programme did not get its required sanctions, it would not have been implemented in the first place. “The university would not have gone ahead with admissions under a programme if they didn’t have sanctions. They would not have put students’ career in jeopardy,” said the source, adding that the UGC had taken a decision based on the rumours spread by people who were anti-development.
A member of the AAD commented on the issue, on the basis on anonymity, said that the only official approval the university did not get was from the Visitor - who is the President of India. “However, if a change in course is sent for approval to the Visitor and no rejection is received in the next 49 days, the change is considered approved. Thus, the university has not left any loopholes,” he said.
Aditya Narayan Misra, ex-president of the DU Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and chairperson of AAD added, “The FYUP was duly passed by the Academic Council, Executive Council and university court after deliberations and even voting.”
Meanwhile, Misra also informed that the UGC’s diktat was in complete violation of the long standing autonomy of the university. He said, “The UGC’s orders are in contradiction to its own rules, regulations, while its letter to DU clearly states the freedom regarding the duration of courses and the cap exists only on the minimum number of necessary years for awarding a degree. The UGC has
overstepped its own mandate, act and regulation in action as a more than willing instrument of MHRD. That is why UGC has conveniently turned a blind eye to the third year of FYUP in many other public-funded and private universities functioning under UGC.”
He added that the scrapping of FYUP by UGC also has vested interests. “These actions of the UGC, besides serving the political masters of the MHRD, will benefit the private universities who take Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh as fees for BTech and BMS programmes while the DU is providing these courses only for Rs 6,000,” said Misra.
The AAD is the only teachers union which has supported the FYUP throughout. Thus, they will now also be conducting a hunger strike to protest against the change from Tuesday. “The zealous and irresponsible dictates of the UGC at the behest of MHRD is also a great all-time blow to the vision of higher education as one stroke of UGC, DU will lose its global compatibility and competitiveness,” Misra stated.