DU faculty worried about workload, infra gaps ahead of fourth year roll-out

DU is considering deploying guest faculty to help manage the extra teaching load. However, the number of guest teachers allowed is limited.

As Delhi University readies for its first batch of fourth-year undergraduate students, teachers are raising red flags over mounting workload and insufficient support. With the seventh and eighth semesters set to begin between late July and early August under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022, faculty members said the university is pushing ahead without a realistic assessment of teaching capacity or infrastructure needs.

DU faculty worried about workload, infra gaps ahead of fourth year roll-out

A major concern, they alleged, is the growing mismatch between sanctioned teaching hours and the number of hours now required due to the additional academic year. “In some of our department meetings, we realised there’s a huge shortfall,” said a faculty member from the geography department of a prominent DU college, requesting anonymity. “Our department has around 194–196 sanctioned hours. But with the fourth year included, we now need about 289 hours.”

DU is considering deploying guest faculty to help manage the extra teaching load. However, the number of guest teachers allowed is limited. According to a 2019 University Grants Commission (UGC) guideline, guest faculty can only be appointed against sanctioned posts, with an allowance of up to 20% additional appointments over the sanctioned limit.

This buffer of 20%, many teachers say, is already exhausted in most colleges. “When a permanent faculty member goes on leave—maternity or study—their position is filled by a guest teacher and paid from that 20%,” said Rudrashish Chakraborty, associate professor of English at Kirori Mal College. “That effectively reduces the available guest faculty quota. Now, with a sharp increase in teaching load, we’re already falling short of teachers.”

Under the UGCF 2022 framework, each of the two upcoming semesters will carry 22 credits. One theory or tutorial credit equals one hour, while a practical credit equals two hours.

Teachers say that while there is no clarity yet on how the dissertation in the fourth year will be factored into the workload of teachers, it still adds to the burden. “There’s been no formal feasibility assessment. The university appears to be adding an entire year without a plan,” Chakraborty said.

The Teaching Programme Committee (TPC), which met on June 10 at Daulat Ram College, further compounded concerns by instructing departments to manage the additional load internally. “No extra hands will be given for the upcoming fourth-year course,” the committee noted.

DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh has said all students completing the third year will be automatically promoted to the fourth year unless they choose to exit early and inform their colleges.

“Colleges are allowed to appoint guest faculty as per UGC norms. And more importantly, if the situation demands, the university will step in to fund the additional guest faculty required,” he said.

Abha Dev Habib, a physics faculty member from Miranda House, said, “If the university is saying that all students graduating from third year will automatically move forward to the fourth year, that would mean colleges and departments must have the infrastructure as well as the teaching strength to support an additional year—along with research, which is supposed to be the focus of the fourth year.”

“Parts of the 20% sanction have already been used by several departments, colleges like Daulat Ram are saying no extra help will be provided, and we lack proper infrastructure. The growing anxiety is quite justified,” Habib added.