FYUP students worried over fate as UGC, DU stand-off continues

As a cloud of uncertainty looms over the controversial Four-Year Undergraduate Programme of Delhi University, students who had enrolled into the course in its inaugural year are clueless as to what the future holds for them.
Students who took admission into the course as it was launched last year are concerned over the fate of their "experimental batch" in the wake of the stand-off between UGC and DU.
"Problems would occur in the event of us being transited into the TYUP as all our work and plans made during the first year will go for a toss. We have become the experimental batch now and will suffer whatever may come," said Ruchika, a B.Com honours student at DU.

While there has been no official communication from DU to the students about their next session, which is set to begin in August, many a concern has been raised over the process of transferring the FYUP students to the three-year undergraduate programme in case that happens.
"It is still not clear whether the FYUP will be scrapped or not. We have been hearing of the discussions and the fights going on between UGC and DU. I have completed one year under FYUP and nothing has been told to us officially about the next session. All we know is through the media," said Shivang, a B.Com student at Hansraj college.

"FYUP should be scrapped for the upcoming batches, but should continue for our batch albeit with some modifications," he suggested.

As to why he had applied for the course in the first place, Shivang said, "As I am from Delhi, applying to DU was a better option than going anywhere else. Also, I was not aware of the repercussions this new course would have."
While there have been suggestions by UGC about transferring the FYUP students to the three year course in a timely manner, many students questioned the idea of squeezing the content of three years into two.
"Although reducing the course duration will be beneficial for us, it will be difficult for us to get through the content in two years of what was supposed to be taught to us over three years," said Swapnil, an English honours student at Zakir Hussain college.

Any change in the duration of the undergraduate programme can also lead to the serious issue of double the normal number of students graduating in a particular year, which might lead to an unprecedented rush of students seeking admission in Masters programmes.
"If we continue under FYUP and the next batch is admitted under the normal three-year course, two batches -- double the number -- will graduate at the same time and imagine the number applying for Masters then," said another student.
Along with the students, their families and relatives, too, are worried about the outcome of the present row over FYUP.

"We don't have much of a role to play. Whatever the authorities decide for us, we'll have to follow. What else can we do," quipped Swapnil.
Meanwhile, the government today made it clear that it will not intervene in the matter and left it to UGC and DU to resolve the issue between themselves.