India Today on FYUP.... On June 1, Delhi University (DU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dinesh Singh received a call from Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani instructing him to meet a Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) delegation. He knew that his vision for lifting DU education to global standards was in trouble. In July 2013, he had launched an ambitious Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) which DUTA wanted scrapped because it served American interests. The trigger for launching the course, however, was not American interest but a shocking 30 per cent dropout rate in DU. There was no relation between what students were learning and the real world. FYUP provides hands-on exposure to the contemporary world where one needs to have communication and IT skills, awareness about environment and basic knowledge of multiple subjects, Singh told INDIA TODAY before retreating from the public. As higher education watchdog University Grants Commission (UGC), with tacit support from Irani, arm-twisted DU colleges to shelve FYUP on June 24, students interest was once again sacrificed to settle political scores. Singhs brainchild was hailed by several academics as one of the most innovative reforms in college education. In March, praise came even from UGC Chairman Ved Prakash. Last year, the same UGC convinced the then HRD minister M.M. Pallam Raju to support FYUP. UGCs U-turn coincided with the change of regime at the Centre. A great admirer of Narendra Modis vision for skill development, the DU VC says FYUP intends to impart students with a skill for life. I want students to move beyond textbooks and learn a skill which will enhance their employability and encourage entrepreneurship, he says. He points out that a top Indian brand recruited only three students from 1,200 applicants during campus recruitment at DU last year. The course was aimed at changing that. And, unlike what its detractors claim, the course was not created overnight. Immediately after taking charge in October 2010, Dinesh Singh began consultations with students, teachers and parents on the university curriculum. In April 2012, he unveiled plans to launch a four-year programme and sought feedback from all stakeholders. Over 3,000 teachers participated in the syllabus-making process, says the VC. On April 5, 2013, he sought approval from UGC which did not object to its implementation. While the VC stood his ground against intense political pressure, Prakash, who got a stern warning from Irani on June 23 to resolve the matter soon, lost no time in dismissing the course as a violation of the National Policy on Education, 1986, which advocates a 10+2+3 format. The VC counters this: Only honours degree students will have to put in four years. Those interested in entering the job market can exit after the second and third year with a diploma and a degree respectively. The primary academic arguments against FYUP are that it emphasises foundation courses which are a rehash of what is taught in middle school; that the course content fails to generate employability; and that it was rushed through without adequate teacher training. Careful enough not to be seen as pushing an agenda, Irani wanted to go strictly by rulebook. So when the VC cited university autonomy, she leaned on the UGC chairman. The other option was to scrap FYUP through a decree by the President, DUs visitor. Irani sought the PMs directive; she was told to avoid a direct confrontation. While many see this stand-off as the beginning of the end of autonomy for educational institutions, students who were admitted under FYUP are the worst hit. UGC has directed DU to arrange for their migration to the three-year structure and has constituted a 10-member committee to guide the rollback. The controversy has also exposed how political manoeuvring can kill a perfectly good idea. If the countrys premier university cannot effect a change in its structure unimpeded by politics, what fate awaits other higher education institutions?
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 03:18:21 +0000
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