Delhi University's maiden 4th-year UG students caught in the crossroads
There is no clarity on the course, the syllabi, the options, or the research route, and there is no precedent to go by, This is the first of a 2-part series
Amir Hamza is in the third year of his BA (Hons) Hindi course at Delhi University’s (DU) BR Ambedkar College. He will be the first fourth-year batch in DU under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
However, a cloud of uncertainty looms over his future.
“We want to continue to the fourth year, but we are confused about what it would be like. That’s because our teachers also have no clarity on how it will be implemented. Our classes are supposed to start in July but we don’t know which courses to pick, or if and how our CGPA (cumulative grade point average) will play a part in it. There’s just widespread confusion,” Hamza told The Federal.
He is one of the hundreds of students currently dealing with the dilemma of making a choice that could determine their future – should they continue into the fourth year or not?
First on the line
DU was the first university to implement the NEP. As a result, it will be the first to have a fourth-year undergraduate batch under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022.
Per the new structure, students have to choose between research, academic projects, and entrepreneurship in their fourth year.
Recently, the university announced a fourth option — students would be allowed to “opt for additional number of discipline specific electives and a skill-based course/hands on learning/laboratory exposure/workshop etc., of two credits related to the core discipline each in the semesters VII and VIII, in case they do not wish to opt for any of the three approved tracks”.
The goal is to focus on “flexibility” and “multi-disciplinarity”.
Also read: Teachers' Day | Delhi teachers detained during anti-NEP protests
Options without info
However, while these options exist on paper, students say they don’t have enough information to make these choices.
Anoushka Sinha, a sociology student at Hindu College, told The Federal that she had decided to continue into the fourth year, but without much information.
“I want to go abroad for further studies after this so it makes sense for me to continue rather than waste a year. But there is not a lot of clarity on what it would be like, especially the research track. We’ve been told the university wants us to get published in renowned journals, but how will most students be able to do that?” she wondered.
Opting out
As the situation remains unclear, some students have decided to drop out.
“We had a conversation with our teachers, and they recommended that we opt out and go for post-graduate courses right now. As science students, the lab facilities in colleges are not great and nobody has any idea how research will be carried out here. On the other hand, departments have better facilities, so we’ve been advised accordingly,” Debdutta Chatterjee, a biochemistry student at Shivaji College, told The Federal.
According to UGCF 2022, those who decide to drop out after the third year can choose to do a two-year post-graduate (PG) course. For those who complete four years, PG will become a one-year programme.
Teachers perturbed
The 12-credit research component is not just a concern for students but also teachers.
“We are also telling our students that 3+2 is more robust than 4+1 given the current situation when there is no clarity," Abha Dev Habib, a physics teacher at Miranda House and secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), told The Federal.
"In research, DU is saying the outcome should be a book chapter, patent or research publication on Scopus (a citation database of research literature). It takes two years just to develop a tool. How will you do en masse research? These are heavy-duty papers. It’s not that the appointment of teachers has been done keeping in mind that there will be a fourth year with research,” she added.
“There should also have been some marker of attendance or CGPA so that we can do research accordingly. Otherwise, it becomes a parking lot. Some students will have to continue their degree, otherwise, they will have to return home. So, people will park themselves,” she further said.
Research worries
Former Executive Council member Naveen Gaur who teaches at Dyal Singh College also expressed apprehensions about the research component.
“They can’t tell me that you have these five students allotted to you, and you teach them. This cannot happen. We don't know how many students will be allotted to each faculty, and whether it will be mandatory for them to take these students,” he said.
Ramjas College Principal Ajay Arora suggests that while the students’ choice would be paramount, teachers will also have a say.
Also read: NEP 2020: Why Tamil Nadu insists 4-year undergrad course is a bad idea
Teachers' call
“First, the students will decide what they want to do. Then, based on that, the teacher will take a decision. Their interests have to align. In case some subject of interest is not available, then changes will have to be made. Earlier, only a few teachers were doing research, but now, everyone will be able to contribute,” he told The Federal.
Hem Chand Jain, Deen Dayal Upadhyay college principal, however, suggested it would be an equitable distribution.
“Our teachers are very enthusiastic to guide students. We will ask students what they want. For example, in the commerce department, there are around 50 students who want to continue. We have 16 teachers. If we do an equitable distribution, there’ll be around 3-4 students per head. Depending on their interests, we will divide. That’s not a big deal,” he told The Federal.
Lack of syllabi
Teachers and students are jittery also because, with less than two months to go, DU has yet to officially notify the syllabi for the fourth year. It is, however, likely to be cleared and passed on May 23, when a meeting of the Executive Council is scheduled.
The DU Teachers’ Association (DUTA), led by the National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF), the teachers’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also raised apprehensions. On Thursday (May 22), DUTA President AK Bhagi wrote to the vice-chancellor asking that a “comprehensive review” of the UGCF must be undertaken involving feedback from “all stakeholders to understand the ground realities”.
Uniform implementation
“The application of a uniform implementation model across diverse disciplines fails to account for the specific pedagogical and structural needs of science, commerce, and humanities courses. This 'one-size-fits-all' approach has resulted in mismatched workloads, impractical timetables, and a reduction in the depth and quality of subject-specific learning,” he wrote.
Other important questions have also arisen from students, teachers, and principals: Does the university have the necessary infrastructure and funding to effectively support a fourth-year? And what impact will this have on teachers' workloads and students’ timetables?
Coming soon, part 2: What next for students and teachers?
