The Executive Council of the Delhi University on Friday passed the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF), formulated according to the National Education Policy (NEP), for the 2022-23 academic session.
Three EC members dissented against UGCF's implementation, saying the "concerns have been brushed aside in passing thus hurried half bake restructuring''.
The UGCF was passed at the Academic Council meeting of the university on Wednesday, with 11 members dissenting against its implementation there. The UGCF includes two features of the NEP -- the multidisciplinary approach and the multiple entries and exit scheme (MEES).
Under the MEES, students can exit at the end of an academic year with a degree. The draft offers a total of 176 credits. The students need to earn a minimum of 50 per cent credits in a discipline to get a four-year undergraduate degree with a major in that discipline.
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DU EC member advocate Ashok Agarwal said the UGCF along with Multiple Entry and Exit Scheme (MEES) and Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) Regulations is a major overhauling.
"DU is known for its undergraduate studies. Given the number of students and teachers involved in UG studies, it is important to tread with caution and not repeat the mistakes of the FYUP implemented in 2013. Over 70,000 students take admission every year in UG courses.
"Serious concerns were raised about adverse impact on the quality of education and teaching jobs. We urged for a wider consultation and feedback from statutory bodies at the department and college levels. It is a deja Vu situation for DU - repeat of FYUP 2013 fiasco in making," he said.
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The university has approved the implementation of the NEP from 2022-23 and the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP). During the Academic Council meeting, the members in their dissent note had said fixing of the academic year 2022-23 as the year of implementation of NEP 2020 is "baseless".
They had said the scheme is "so faulty" that in a year, this is the fourth model of the four-year undergraduate programme placed by the university for discussion.
They had said that the UGCF does not follow the framework, as stipulated by the draft National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF) on which the UGC is seeking feedback.
The note advised the university to compile concerns raised in the statutory bodies on NEP recommendations, including UGCF, and send it to the UGC as feedback on NHEQF.
"The current batch of 12th class students had enough of instability in terms of their crucial years getting affected by the Covid pandemic. It will not be fair to force rushed exercises of CUCET and FYUP on them. For once, the University of Delhi should be spared from these experiments," said the AC dissent note.
With PTI inputs.
