Physics curriculum changes to disrupt classes across DU: Teachers
Delhi University teachers’ body on Friday released a statement objecting to the changes introduced to the BSc (Hons) Physics curriculum at the university, stating the decision was rushed, disruptive, and taken without proper consultation.
In its letter addressed to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh, the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) said that a notification issued on January 12 introduced major curriculum changes midway through the academic year, unsettling teaching across 25 colleges that offer the programme.
When contacted, the Delhi University officials declined to comment on the issue. According to the DTF, the notification has altered credit structures and ratios of lecture and practical of core papers with immediate effect.
Mathematical Physics-2 was changed from a two-lecture, two-practical format to three lectures and one practical. Whereas, Thermal Physics shifted from three lectures and one practical to two lectures and two practicals, the statement read.
Some of these changes were made applicable from January 2026 itself, it added. The teacher described the decision as a shock, as departments had already finalised teaching schedules, timetables, and laboratory plans in December, the statement said.
“With the semester already underway, these preparations have now been rendered useless, affecting several thousand students and teachers,” it added.
The teacher’s body termed the decoupling of credit redistribution from syllabus revision a “serious academic flaw”. They also argued that credits reflect the depth and weight of course content, and changing contact hours (the scheduled hours a student spends in direct, synchronous interaction with instructors) without clarifying content, assessment patterns, or learning outcomes leaves teachers without direction and compromises academic quality.
Another concern raised was the decision to apply changes selectively to different admission batches, which the teachers said would result in parallel academic tracks within the same programme. This, they warned, would complicate examinations, question paper setting, and fair assessment.
The teachers also pointed out that the notification was communicated to colleges only on January 16, four days after it was issued, further adding to the confusion.
Abha Dev Habib, associate professor, physics department, Miranda House, said that the notification undermines the adverse impact of the loss of teaching time, and the notification should be withdrawn.
“Teaching is being disrupted for a whole month for several students. For an even semester, preparations start from December onwards,” Habib said in a statement.
“Given that there is barely any gap between odd and even semesters, teachers decide their teaching and prepare towards it, thinking of the academic year as a whole,” she added. The redistribution of teaching in mid-January will affect teachers’ preparedness, she said.
