Delhi University orders process to revise curriculum, faces objections

According to the schedule, each department will have to constitute their own committees and prepare a first draft of the revised curriculum by March 29. Each departmental committee will come up with at least four drafts before submitting the final copy with the heads of departments (HoDs).

Delhi University (DU) has asked the heads of 11 departments and a college to initiate the process for revising the curriculum of all their undergraduate courses and introduce the revised syllabus in the academic session 2019-20.

Delhi University (DU) has asked the heads of 11 departments and a college to initiate the process for revising the curriculum. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

The move has invited criticism from a section of the faculty, who termed it a “serious statutory violation”.

The university’s undergraduate curriculum revision committee (2019) last week wrote an email to the heads of 12 departments, including computer science, history, botany, music, zoology, Sanskrit, microbiology and environmental studies, and the administration of Indraprastha College for Women, with a revision schedule and asked them to “abide by it”.

According to the schedule, each department will have to constitute their own committees and prepare a first draft of the revised curriculum by March 29. Each departmental committee will come up with at least four drafts before submitting the final copy with the heads of departments (HoDs).

The undergraduate curriculum revision committee, constituted by the administration, asked the department heads to make the final draft available in the public domain and invite suggestions from all stakeholders.

Members of the university’s executive council (EC) and academic council (AC) wrote to vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, objecting to the “manner of revising the curriculum”.

Rajesh Jha, an EC member, said, “As per DU rules of revising syllabus, the departments would root the draft of revised curriculum through individual committees of all courses offered by any department.”

“It is then sent to each faculty for approval. It is further passed by the standing council before going for a discussion in AC. Then the final draft is passed by the EC. The university has bypassed all these steps,” Jha said.

The EC and AC members have requested the VC to withdraw the communication. “The schedule was prepared without any consultation with the statutory bodies. So, we request you to revise the UG syllabi in a statutory and democratic manner and withdraw all the communications concerned,” the letter states.

Despite several attempts, vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi did not respond to calls and messages for a comment.