Change has come to DU, only partially

Much-hyped semester system won't be fully implemented this academic year

Much-hyped semester system won't be fully implemented this academic year

Delhi University students can expect more of the same. After a lot of brouhaha and protests from professors, the highly publicised semester system will not be fully operationalised at the university colleges this academic year.


Testing times The teachers' association had earlier expressed its
dissatisfaction over the semester system.u00a0 file pic

The university feels that most of the departments including History, Geography and English among others have not been fully cooperating in preparing the new syllabi according to the system. In such a situation, in courses like BA and BA (Hons), where the intake of students is the highest, implementing the semester system could be arduous. So the plan is to introduce the new system, but selectively.

A university official said: "We have been giving it serious thought and are open to working on this idea. However, nothing has been finalised. If the new syllabus for some of the science and commerce courses are prepared according to the new system we can always go ahead with that subject. However the university is in a dilemma as very little time is left for the new academic session to start."

When MiD DAY tried to contact DU Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental, he refused to comment on the matter.
Earlier, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) had formally announced their opposition to the semester system. The teachers body had reached a unanimous decision and expressed its dissatisfaction at not only the likely repercussions of the new procedure on the education system of the country but also the 'undemocratic' way in which it was being implemented.

Apart from the vice-chancellor's open address, very little communication has been made to the teachers regarding the issue. DUTA president Aditya Narayan Misra said, "We are against implementation of the system in any form. The teachers' association is opposing the process. Now the university feels that even a partial implementation could prove cumbersome."

"Even if the university manages to do so the irony of the matter is that within a month of introducing the system, Professor Pental's tenure as the VC of the university will terminate, leaving his successor with the onus of implementing the remaining part and tackling the compounding problems," he added.

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