If CBCS is implemented this year, grave illegalities will be committed
The DUTA held a Press Conference today, 30 June 2015 to highlight grave illegalities that would be committed in case CBCS is implemented in Delhi University now. Apart from DUTA Office Bearers, the Press Conference was also addressed by former DUTA President and EC member Aditya Narayan Mishra, former DUTA President Shaswati Mazumdar, EC member Abha Dev Habib and AC member Shashi Shekhar Singh.
Please see the full Press Handout with supporting documents below.
The DUTA President informed that the DUTA had written an urgent letter on 25 June, the first day of admissions to the undergraduate courses in DU, to the Minister, HRD to draw her attention to the grave illegalities that would occur if the CBCS is implemented from July 2015. The students can only be admitted to courses which exist as on date and no Ordinances exist as yet for courses under CBCS. She informed that admissions and examination forms on the basis of existing three year semester courses are being filled in various colleges including KMC, ZHC, Ramjas, Hindu, Satyawati, MLNC, Dyal Singh College, SPM, JDM and Deshbandhu College. She shared copies of few such forms (please see the Press Handout).
Aditya Narayan Mishra said that imposition of common syllabi by the UGC on all universities is not acceptable as it is not only an attack on the autonomy of universities but is a way to kill innovation and creativity. Harish Khanna, Secretary DUTA, stressed on the fact that their is a complete unanimity amongst teachers’ and students’ organisations of all political shades. He warned that the struggle against CBCS will continue, if it is imposed. He said that the Government should reconsider their proposal in the light of the growing criticism. Shaswati Mazumdar underlined the fact that by imposing the CBCS now, the MHRD would be responsible for illegalities, even greater ones than those which became the basis for the roll back of FYUP. Shashi Shekhar Singh informed that in many colleges including his own college the students were asked to fill options for specific courses as per the existing three year semester course. He said that as per the DU circular of 26 May 2015, the colleges are also asking students to fill the examination form for next two semesters. This too was being done as per the existing semester system. He said that imposition of CBCS will be illegal as well as immoral.It should be deferred and teachers be consulted. Abha Dev Habib called the UGC exercise of drafting common syllabi for CBCS a sham. She said that the UGC can neither show application of mind nor pan India consultation. She said that implementation of CBCS should be first debated as a pointer in New Education Policy and a wider consultation should be held before it is implemented in universities across India.
PRESS HANDOUT
Illegalities, if CBCS implemented this year
In an urgent letter sent on 25 June, the first day of admissions to the undergraduate courses in DU, the DUTA has sought to draw attention of the Minister, HRD, to the grave illegalities that would occur if the CBCS is implemented from July 2015.
Now that the admission process is underway, admissions based on the first cut-off lists have already been made and those based on the second cut-off lists have begun, the following need to be noted:
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Students have been admitted without providing them any information that the courses they are taking admission to might be under CBCS. There is no mention of CBCS anywhere, not in the printed Information Handout, not in the online Information Bulletin, not in the accompanying list of Frequently Asked Questions, and not in the Open Day Presentation (also online).(The latter three can be downloaded/viewed here)
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Under Sec 7(4) and Sec 30 of the Delhi University Act, “The Courses and curricula shall be prescribed by the Ordinances and, subject thereto, by the Regulations.” In accordance with Sec 30 of the Act, courses of studies are provided in Appendix II to Ordinance V(2) and admission policy, scheme of examinations, conduct of examinations, internal assessment and pass rule and classification of results are provided vide Ordinances, II, VII, VIII, VII-E & IX. Under Section 31(1) proviso (ii) (b), the Executive Council makes/amends Ordinances for courses on the basis of a draft prepared by the Academic Council. (Relevant pgs of DU Act attached)Since courses of study under CBCS have still not been brought to the Academic Council, the relevant amendments to these Ordinances have not been made. Therefore, the admissions can only have been made to existing courses as provided in the existing Ordinances. These courses/syllabi are available on the DU website.(Go to DU Home page and click on ‘Courses/Syllabus’ in the column ‘Study at DU’)
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While taking admission, students have filled the admission forms provided by the Colleges. Several such admission forms require the student to opt for specific courses which would not be available under CBCS. See examples in table (sample admission forms: DBC | DSC | ZHC):
Semester
IOptions
in Existing CoursesOptions
in CBCS courses (not yet approved)BA
(Hons)1
Interdisciplinary/Concurrent/language course1
General Elective Course,
1 Communication Course (Eng or MIL)BA
Programme2
Language Courses1
Language course -
DU issued a notification on 26.5.2015 (copy attached) directing that “The students shall fill the examination form at the time of admission/readmission…after payment of the prescribed examination fee.” In this common examination form, the student has to specify the papers in which he wants to take the examination in Nov-Dec 2015. Students have, of course, specified paper titles from the existing courses since no other are available. The table below gives some examples of the differences between the existing courses and those under CBCS (sample examination forms: MLNC | DSC | Ramjas):
In view of the above, students have been legally admitted so far to the existing courses and not to the still unapproved CBCS courses.
Illegalities leading to rollback of FYUP
For the rollback of FYUP, apart from the violation of the 10+2+3 structure under the NPE, the following decisive argument was made:
The FYUP was introduced “without following the statutory provisions of the Delhi University Act, 1922” that required any amendment to any approved course to be approved by the Academic Council, Executive Council, the University Court and the Visitor.
(For all quotes in this section, see attached UGC letter dt 26.6.2014 directing DU to rollback FYUP)
The UGC letter pointed out that
“The amendments were first claimed to be approved by the University Court in its meeting held on 22nd March 2013 and thereafter by the Executive Council in its meeting held on 9th Max 2013 and 7th June 2013.”
Further, that
“The amendments which introduced FYUP were not even submitted to the Visitor in terms of the applicable statutory provisions as informed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.”
In regard to CBCS the following needs to be emphasized:
- The relevant amendments have not even been brought to the Academic Council as yet. Therefore, no such amendments have been submitted to the Visitor.
- In regard to FYUP, the violations of statutory provisions rendered “the claimed amendments as non-est having no existence in the eyes of the law”. In regard to CBCS, no amendments exist as yet.
- The UGC letter was sent on 26 June 2014. Admissions, it may be recalled, had not yet begun. This time, thousands of students have already been admitted.
DUTA appeal to defer CBCS
The DUTA has already written to all concerned authorities – the VC, the UGC, the Visitor and the MHRD – urging withdrawal of the CBCS on grounds of it being unsuited to public-funded universities, given their lack of infrastructure and teachers and their social mandate. It has also repeatedly drawn attention to the hurried manner of its implementation, without proper consultation or review of its prerequisites. Today the matter has acquired utmost urgency with admissions already having begun.
When major systemic changes are rushed without proper preparation, particularly with large universities such as DU, the result is chaos, confusion and adverse consequences for thousands of students. The recent large-scale failures in certain subjects including massive errors in tabulating examination results are symptoms of an institution being stressed beyond its capacity. The illegalities associated with a forced implementation of CBCS from July 2015 would threaten to destroy Delhi University and ruin the careers of lakhs of students.
The DUTA therefore urgently appeals to all concerned authorities to heed these warnings and defer the implementation of CBCS.
| NANDITA NARAIN President, DUTA |
HARISH KHANNA Secretary, DUTA |
Attachments:
- Relevant pgs of the DU Act
- Sample admission forms: DBC | DSC | ZHC
- DU Notification: Procedure for submission of Examination form for Undergraduate Courses, 26.5.2015
- Sample examination forms: MLNC, DSC
- UGC letter dt 26.6.2014 directing DU to rollback FYUP
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