Academicians moot resolution to DU-UGC impasse over FYUP

With the growing demand that admissions to Delhi University colleges commence latest by next week, a 20-member group comprising vice chancellors of various universities along with principals and professors of DU colleges Wednesday came forth with a proposal aimed at resolving the impasse between the varsity and the UGC.

The group appealed to the two bodies to consider providing "a three-year honours programme that is easily devised by reverting to several features of the old semester format and by drastically reducing the existing courses that are not of the honours stream and that exist in the current (four-year) format".

The group also appealed for the validation of an honours degree in three years, and said that the main honours courses may be increased to a total of 17.

"The foundation courses may be reduced in number and may be offered only in the first year. Further, a choice may be built into the format for these courses," the appeal stated.

The appeal, which was signed by Arun Grover, vice chancellor of Panjab University; Anil Tyagi, VC of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi; and St. Stephen's College principal Valson Thampu, among others, said the existing B.Tech courses may be left "untouched" except for a reduction in the number of foundation courses.

"For students that have been admitted in the past year, the courses of study shall be modified by removing the foundation courses of the second year and they may be replaced with the requisite number of DC 1 courses," the appeal said.

DC 1 courses are the compulsory subjects based on which students get their honours degree.

"The university may wish to offer a fourth year of study... this can easily be done by creating honours by research programmes within an overall credit based system with the approval of the regulatory body," said Vijay Choudhary, from DU's microbiology department.