CBCS move will see students being used as guinea pigs: DUTA

The DU teachers' body today said that the varsity's proposed Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) would see students being used as guinea pigs in an experiment which is "directionless" and lacks clarity.
At its General Body Meeting today, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) passed a unanimous resolution opposing the CBCS and the pending Central Universities Bill.
"CBCS is another experiment like the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) and students are the worst sufferers (as they) are being used as guinea pigs in such experiments which are directionless and lack clarity," said DUTA president, Nandita Narain.
"UGC is also acting in an irresponsible manner by yet again trying to push through a drastic change just before admissions are about to begin for the next academic session.

"The government should take note of the fact that every new batch of students is being thrown into confusion and chaos as the result of its half-baked experiments," she added.
DUTA also said that CBCS is an unconstitutional attack on the autonomy of universities as it is based on a uniform curriculum prepared by UGC.

"This step towards extreme centralisation ignores the diversity of needs and local thrusts based on which universities have been given the right to frame their own syllabi and curricula," Narain said.
"DUTA has appealed to the Human Resource Development ministry to engage in a dialogue with teachers' and students' bodies about the nature of reforms required," she added.

UGC had in September last year asked all central varsities to implement CBCS from the next academic session.
While DU's plans to introduce the system were held back by HRD earlier this year which questioned the varsity's preparation for the same, the teachers have been alleging that the university has now decided to go ahead with the implementation without the mandate from its statutory bodies.