DUTA Press Release on UGC Order on FYUP: 21 June 2014

DUTA Press Release: 21 June 2014

The DUTA welcomes the UGC order dated 20.6.2014 to the University of Delhi to admit students in the current year and subsequent years into the three year structure that prevailed in the University with regard to general undergraduate education before the introduction of FYUP last year. It also welcomes the direction to arrange for a system so that students admitted last year to the University, who were victims of the hasty FYUP experiment, do not lose a year.

The DUTA salutes the teachers and students from various organisations (AIDSO, AISA, AISF, ABVP, CYSS, DSU, INSO, KYS, PACHHAS, NEFIS, SFI and SYS) who turned up in large numbers at the venue of the Academic Council. The UGC order had reached the University officials early in the morning, but it was not revealed to the members of the Academic Council till lunch time, revealing an utter lack of respect for the statutory bodies on the part of the Vice-Chancellor.

The DUTA considers the four year programme introduced last year as an irresponsible succumbing of the statutory bodies to the whims of the Vice-Chancellor. In fact, the FYUP was announced to the media even before the university community had an opportunity to discuss it. The AC accepted the recommendations by a Task Force constituted by the VC in unimaginable haste. Let alone scrutinizing the structure of the FYUP or the content of the courses hurriedly framed for it, the AC did not even examine elementary questions such as requirements of infrastructure, teachers and other necessities to accommodate 33% more students in each college. Nor did it examine and answer questions over how the disparities for students created by deviation from the national pattern would be dealt with. Most scandalous is the case of the Executive Council that approved the courses even when the courses were not made available to members.

Such loss of autonomy and authority of the AC and EC during the past three years is due to the environment of fear and intimidation perpetrated by the Vice-Chancellor and the University administration. This loss has been disastrous for academic decision making and academic functioning. Those who speak their mind, express critical opinions or dissent are subjected to harassment and victimisation. Despite this, teachers had unanimously expressed their resolve to get the FYUP rolled back in the meeting of their GB in January 2014 and an overwhelming majority of students including those admitted under the FYUP had severely indicted it in the feedback collected by DUTA as well as in the referendum conducted by student organisations.

It is ironical that those who have destroyed the environment of academic freedom, free and fearless expression of ideas and critical scrutiny of every proposal are today invoking the slogan of “university autonomy” to denounce the UGC order. The university has been reduced to a fiefdom with the implicit and explicit support by the earlier Central Government. Last year, the Government refused to intervene citing reasons of autonomy. The lie was exposed by the fact that in an orchestrated manner the Vice-Chancellors of several other universities started talking about switching to four year programmes. It clearly was a case of the Government forcing universities, each one autonomously autocratic, to switch to four years without the Government incurring the necessary expenditure. The Delhi University did not seek additional funds even when extending the duration of the undergraduate programme by an additional year!

The only way academic freedom, an environment of considered decision making, free and fearless debate and scrutiny and autonomy of the Departments of the University can be recovered is by getting the university rid of the autocrat who occupies the position of the Vice-Chancellor. It may also be required that statutory provisions / powers which allow a Vice-Chancellor to run roughshod over academic autonomy be amended so that such institutional collapse does not recur.

The Resolution apparently adopted by majority in the Academic Council today asking the UGC to reconsider its order demonstrates that so long as Prof. Dinesh Singh continues as Vice-Chancellor the statutory bodies will not be more than rubberstamps. This Resolution is nothing but a tactic to delay scrapping the FYUP and is unmindful of the stress and difficulties facing those who are waiting for the admission process to begin soon with clarity about courses.

The DUTA demands that the UGC act immediately to ensure compliance with its order. The DUTA further demands urgent action for removal of Prof. Dinesh Singh from the position of VC of Delhi University.