The same Delhi University Academic Council that passed a resolution to scrap the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) on Saturday had supported the course, albeit with a few changes, just a week back.
Saturday’s Academic and Executive Councils’ meeting lasted barely 15 minutes. The resolution to scrap the ordinance that brought in FYUP was read out by the vice-chancellor and a vote was taken.
“I reached at 10 am, the scheduled time, and the VC was reading out the ordinance at the time. It was a matter of minutes and the resolution was passed. Some teachers went to the well and demanded a discussion but nothing was done,” said Rajesh Jha, who along with 7 others, dissented against the resolution.
The same scenes played out in the Executive Council, where two members dissented against the resolution.
Till a week back, members of the councils were adamant that if they made the fourth year in FYUP optional and gave a bachelors degree in three years it was not violating the National Education Policy.
“Saturday’s rollback clearly indicates that the council seems to go with whatever the vice-chancellor says and can in many matters, be used as a rubber stamp. These were the same people who had last year passed FYUP with a majority. If they believed in it, they would have fought for it irrespective of the vice-chancellor’s position. He is, after all, only one man,” said an AC member on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}“Saturday’s rollback clearly indicates that the council seems to go with whatever the vice-chancellor says and can in many matters, be used as a rubber stamp. These were the same people who had last year passed FYUP with a majority. If they believed in it, they would have fought for it irrespective of the vice-chancellor’s position. He is, after all, only one man,” said an AC member on condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}In the past, AC and EC meetings have gone on for long hours with the AC meeting to pass FYUP stretching for 16 hours. Saturday’s change shows that the university administration had no option but to agree to what the UGC wanted.
A section of media had been projecting the ongoing conflict over the four year undergraduate programme as a war of turf between the vice-chancellor, teachers and the UGC.
The teachers had been claiming for the past one year that the vice-chancellor rolled out the new programme without due consultations. They had been protesting against it, demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor.