The University of Delhi is all set to execute the Four-Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP) in the upcoming academic session. This program will be implemented under the new National Education Policy, 2020.
Under FYUP the university will offer multiple exits and entry options to the students. The program is divided into eight semesters. During the first three semesters, the students will study a set of common courses in natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences regardless of the stream they have chosen.
After the three semesters, the students will have to choose a major subject and two minor subjects related to a disciplinary or interdisciplinary area of study. In the seventh semester, the students will take up a research project along with their studies. The last semester will fully be devoted to the research project or the internship.
There are multiple entries and exit options available to the students-
- After 1 year of study: a certificate will be awarded
- After 2 years of study: a diploma will be awarded
- After 3 years of study: a bachelor’s degree will be awarded
- After 4 years of study: a bachelor’s degree with honors or research will be awarded
It will be mandatory for the students to do internships to improve their employability. Also, an option between online and offline modes of learning will be introduced to the students.
Why Is The Teachers’ Body Criticizing It?
This program of learning has been criticized by the teachers’ body. According to them, the students will be devoid of the core-stream studies in the first three semesters which will result in distraction and confusion. It will also result in the delay of degrees of students and an extra burden of a year on them.
The students who will take the one- or two-year degree option, will be facing a lot of challenges as their degree will have not much value in terms of employment. The three-year degree could also lead to graduates “being treated like dropouts” because they did not complete the full four years.
Read More: Before Seeking Admission To Delhi University, Know These Lesser-Known Facts About DU
The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) has also accused this program of plagiarism from universities in the US. They have accused UGC of plagiarizing verbatim from official documents of the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona. A letter signed by DTF president, Nandita Narain quoted-
“Borrowed ideas, divorced from the ground realities and real needs of our education system, cannot result in the reforms that will be an improvement on our present system.”
Apart from this, the additional financial challenges for the students are a point of worry for the teachers. An extra year of under-graduation will increase the cost of education for the students.
Many teachers are also raising objections against the hybrid option that is proposed by FYUP. This will also affect the teachers as it will be difficult to maintain synchronization between offline-online modes of teaching. The hybrid system of teaching may also affect the jobs of ad hoc, temporary, and guest teachers in the university.
The teachers’ body also fears the failure of this program just like a similar FYUP that was implemented in DU in 2013. It was discontinued within a year of its implementation.
Conclusion
FYUP would definitely have a tremendous impact on both teachers and students. There is a need to review the proposal judiciously before implementing it as lives of thousands of students depend on it. Also, the university must consider the concerns of DTF before taking any further stands.
Disclaimer: This article is fact-checked
Sources: News Click, The Print, Hindustan Times
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This post is tagged under: fyup, dtf, students, teachers’ body, teachers, du, delhi, university, diploma, interdisciplinary, certificate, undergraduate, hybrid, bachelor’s degree, NEP, academics, science, humanities, social science, dropouts, financial load, ad hoc, temporary, internship, research, four year undergraduate program
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