Why Dinesh Singh's resignation is a bad thing

Minister Smriti Irani should have forced a dialogue between him, and DU teachers

Even though Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh made the mistake of not getting teacher buy-in for the four-year undergraduate programme, or FYUP as it is called on campus, his resignation is not a good thing for the university or the new BJP government.

 

For a start, he leaves behind a mess for others to clean up.

 

Also, a bigger issue at stake is that Delhi University, which is autonomous, cannot afford that the Vice Chancellor’s continuity in office be at the pleasure of political bosses.  What was very badly needed to break the FYUP deadlock -- and HRD minister Smriti Irani should have forced this -- was a dialogue between the Vice Chancellor and teachers.

 

The FYUP faces widespread criticism. Teachers, and students, say that the courses in the programme lack rigour. Its curriculum lacks cohesion. Read their views here.

 

A reason is that teachers were not consulted, and the programme pushed through, despite their dissent. What was now needed to save the FYUP is teachers and Vice Chancellor Singh sitting across the table and a debate and discussion on how the curriculum could be improved. Surely, Minister Irani could have managed this. Scrapping the course will lead to more confusion.

 

What this face-off between the Vice Chancellor and teachers also shows is that education policy in India is continuously hijacked by personalities or egos of those involved in policy-making, a dangerous trend which harms institutions and all stakeholders, particularly young students. Delhi University has a long history of talented alumni that include Deutsche Bank boss Anshu Jain, writer Khushwant Singh, and actor Shah Rukh Khan. 

 

Such a university deserves continuity of policy and practices. Not ad hoc measures, introduced by one government, scrapped by the next.

 

Change, when introduced, should be well-thought out and debated, with all stakeholders involved: teachers, teachers unions, students and their representatives, deans, department heads. Change for change sake can, and should, be avoided.  

 

The recent developments makes one ask: Will Minister Smriti Irani roll back the semester system also?