DU teachers, students urge Smriti Irani to scrap four-year programme

New Delhi: A delegation of teachers and students from the Delhi University (DU) on Friday met HRD Minister Smriti Irani and submitted a memorandum urging her to scrap the four-year undergraduate programme and sack DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh.

Irani told the delegation that she understood their concern, the urgency to roll back the programme and that her party would stick to its commitment spelled out in its manifesto, said a delegation member.

"She told the delegation that she will hold widespread consultation on this matter at all levels and take a decision," Saikat Ghosh, an executive member of the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) said.

Abha Dev, who was also in the delegation, said: "We are very positive about her response and she said she would do everything within the constitutional framework." The minister also told the HRD secretary to advise the vice-chancellor to initiate dialogue between teachers and students.

Student bodies like All India Students Association, DU's All India Democratic Students Organisation and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, students union of School of Open Learning (SOL) with DUTA and Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) held a protest outside the ministry, demanding return of the previous three-year course structure.

"All the seven parliamentarians from Delhi have already met Irani and asked her to roll back the four-year undergraduate programme," Ghosh added. The protesting students and teachers, while criticising the FYUP, also raised slogans against the vice-chancellor, accusing him of trying to imitate foreign universities.

"He (Dinesh Singh) is the man who implemented this programme forcibly despite protest from several quarters. His goal is to promote foreign style of education here which will not work," said Hansraj Suman, convener, DU SC/ST forum.

Asked about the protest and fate of the four-year programme, the vice-chancellor refused comment. "We will do our duty and follow the Constitution of the country," Dinesh Singh said.

The SOL students union also joined the protest as it is widely known that the three-year undergraduate correspondence honours course would also be changed to four years. The memorandum submitted to the minister categorically states that this programme has compromised the academic standards, is a financial burden on the students and the university lacks appropriate infrastructure.

"Last year we started the Save DU campaign to which UGC also set up a revisit committee but nothing happened. We are very hopeful with BJP that they would do something," said Rajiv Kunwar of the DTF.

Delhi University upgraded its three-year undergraduate programme to four years from the 2013 academic session. The brainchild of Dinesh Singh, the move had drawn flak from the teachers fraternity and students.