Teachers want DU to hold back on implementation of NEP, seek feedback

On the eve of Delhi University’s academic council (AC) meeting on Tuesday, several teachers and AC members raised concerns over the university’s decision to push for reforms advocated in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and have demanded that the recommendations prepared by the DU-NEP committee be opened up for wider consultations instead of placing them before the council in Tuesday’s meeting

On the eve of Delhi University’s academic council (AC) meeting on Tuesday, several teachers and AC members raised concerns over the university’s decision to push for reforms advocated in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and have demanded that the recommendations prepared by the DU-NEP committee be opened up for wider consultations instead of placing them before the council in Tuesday’s meeting.

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The Standing Committee on Academic Matters, however, passed agenda on implementation of the four-year undergraduate programme structure with effect from 2022-23 despite opposition from teachers. The committee recorded a note of dissent from three members. The Standing Committee had to defer the agenda on the implementation of SWAYAM (India’s massive open online course platform) due to opposition from teachers.

Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has however opposed the decision and called for a strike Tuesday ahead of the scheduled AC meeting. “The University administration will have to face greater opposition tomorrow both inside and outside the Academic Council. The DUTA has called for Strike and protest outside VC Office on the matter,” said DUTA treasurer Abha Dev Habib, adding that the experience of FYUP in 2013 shows that students rejected the idea of additional expenditure for the fourth year.

In 2014, DU was mired in controversy after the then administration introduced the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP). It was scrapped later that year amid protests by students and teachers.

On Saturday, Hindustan Times reported that the university was planning to table the recommendations made by the 42-member committee on how to implement NEP in the varsity from the next academic year (2022-23). The agenda items include the return of the four-year undergraduate programme with a focus on multidisciplinary research, innovation, and social-emotional learning; multiple entry-exit points in undergraduate courses; introduction of the academic bank of credits; appointment of international faculty members; and discontinuation of the MPhil programme from the next academic session.

During the meeting of the standing committee on academic matters on Monday, several AC members raised their voices against the “loss of workload” that may result from the proposed NEP structure. “This document at this stage is not fit for discussion in the academic council and needs a major re-haul and that is possible only when it is sent for feedback from teachers in the committee of courses and the staff council,” said Mithuraaj Dhusiya, member, academic council.

Teachers argue that due to the design of the multiple entry and exit schemes (MEES) and academic bank of credit (ABC) — which allow students to exit from one course at any point and save their academic credits to use at other universities — students can earn credits for non-core courses from other universities, thereby reducing the workload.

The four-year undergraduate programme comprising 196 credits has just 84 credits allotted to core courses; that means, 57.14% of total credits can be earned in four years from other universities.

In a dissent note submitted to the university on Monday with three signatories of 36 members in the standing committee, DU teachers said, “The DU has not asked for detailed feedback on the report of the NEP implementation from all stakeholders, including members of all relevant statutory bodies. The fixing of the academic year 2022-23 as the year of implementation of NEP 2020 is baseless as first, there needs to be detailed discussion and wider consultation on NEP 2020 among all stakeholders and only then can we determine whether NEP 2020 will be feasible in DU at all.”

Another academic council member Ratnesh R Saxena said, “Encouraging blended teaching through provisions of ABC and MOOCS on Swayam [online] Portal in which students can earn 40% of their credits through the online mode and transfer them for their degree would not only drastically reduce the workload of institutions but also create an alternative to classroom teaching.”

Teachers also said the MEES will encourage more students to drop out. There was also no clarity on job prospects of those who leave an institution with a certificate or diploma after their first or second year of undergraduate course, respectively.

“The MEES along with the burden of extra expenditure will encourage drop-outs. This will hit women students as well as others from marginalised and underprivileged sections…The addition of the fourth year will put an additional burden on infrastructure in terms of classrooms, labs, etc. Most colleges do not have any space or scope for further expansion,” the teachers said in the note.