Delhi University Course Reforms
Delhi University has
taken the first few steps to open up the study streams at the undergraduate
courses. This is a welcome reform though much overdue. The introduction of
semester exams to replace the annual had taken place a couple of years back.
There are still glitches in its implementation and they have to be sorted out.
The basic principle
governing semester system is the wide choice of courses offered to the student
during his/her 4-year study at the undergraduate level. It is good that after
the introduction of the semester system, DU has gone in for a 4 year degree
course offering a bouquet of courses for the student to choose for his Honours
degree. S/he can opt for cessation of study at the end of the second year and
get an Associate degree or at the end of three years to get a baccalaureate degree.
The University has to arrive at new nomenclatures for these intermediate
degrees as it intends to do away with the existing degrees like B.A, BSc and
B.com. After all a
After
all a degree is a degree and as Shakespeare says
What's
in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
By any other name would smell as sweet."
The question is how does
the new nomenclature enhance the essence or spirit of learning? What is the rationale in awarding an
Associate or a baccalaureate degree unless they form a part of the minimum
eligibility criteria to get a job? Just because USA, China, Australia, Brazil
and Pakistan have similar models, should we adopt it as well? Has any study
been done with reference to job opportunities for students with intermediate
degrees? What happens to the existing well structured course like B.El.Ed ?
With a deficit of 12 lakh teachers for the RTI to be fully implemented, can the
University afford to do away with the present teacher training courses?
As per the new
structure, there are to be application courses The University says that a
student pursuing Physics and Chemistry for Discipline I and Discipline II courses
can opt for Sociology or Literature as application courses. Sounds good, but
the question is can Literature and Sociology come under the rubric ‘application
course’? Normally we hear about web application courses, computer application
course, design application course, Applied Psychology course, Mobile
application development course etc- courses that give hands on training and
practical skill to make students employable. Literature and Sociology are
disciplines that do not subscribe to application courses. If one reads it right,
these application courses are only for the first two years –or four semesters.
Isn’t the University letting out young men and women with an Associate or a
Baccalaureate degree (after six semesters) without any employable skills just as
it is doing today with a three year BA/BSc/B.Com programmes? At least in the
present case with a three year degree the students can go for post-graduation while
the new system limits post-graduation to those who complete a 4-year programme.
The introduction of
foundation courses cutting across all disciplines is an excellent idea. This
will definitely contribute to a wholesome development of mind and awareness. It
is worth considering introduction of one foreign language as a Foundation
course. It will be ideal if language courses (incuding English and Modern
Indian language) are spread over two years rather than limited to the first
year. A minimum of two years is required to get a feel of the language and a
feel for the language, leave aside learning vocabulary, pronunciation and
grammar. The compulsory foundation courses on English and Indian modern
language at the university level begs the question with regard to the minimum
standard of proficiency among entrants to college. The foundation course in English
that exists currently in Delhi University is almost at the elementary level of
learning and is way below university standards. Can a premier University bring
down the standard to such an abysmally low level?
The list of foundation
courses includes an assorted variety such as courses on environment and health,
communication skills, mathematical ability, IT, Science and Life etc. What is
the mechanism by which the students will be tested in these courses? Communication skills, IT, mathematical
ability are more in the line of application courses raising two fundamental
questions as to what defines Foundation course and what learning curves do they
trace at the undergraduate level? Foundation course is a bridge course relating to particular Special Course Requirements of the undergraduate degree course
that students intend to seek admission in. For example, if students intend to
apply for the Bachelor of Engineering course, they would be expected to follow
Foundation study-units in Physics and Mathematics. These study-units will
enable students to prepare for the content and level of the degree course in
Engineering. The University’s claim that these courses will bring an overall
personality development of the student is like wishing horses for courses.
The University states
that the classes for UG students are going to be increased as they have 11
Foundation(F) and 5 Applied courses(A) besides 2 discipline courses(DI and DII i.e.16-20
discipline papers in four years) to study. On an average this works out to a
minimum of 20 papers per year (11F +3A+3DI+3DII) which will translate into at
least 60 classes per week( i.e. if 2 lectures and one tutorial/practical
classes per paper constitute the norm). The college works for 6 days for the
students and this means every student attends a minimum of 10 classes or 10 hours
per day. Is there any time left for the student self study, library work and
extra reading? If Delhi University seeks
parity of standard with US Universities, it should allow more time for students
to do library work and to assimilate whatever is said in the class. Otherwise
the system will make students more like school students with no time for self
development. The research papers that are mandatory for a first degree will
remain a copy and paste affair from the internet. Even the existing level of
learning may become a distant possibility for the students with the overloaded
class lectures.
Then comes the most
important principle behind semester system which is CBCS- Choice based Credit
system. The students through the new combined course are given the opportunity
to choose courses for adding to their credits. This means the flexibility to
change colleges where courses of one’s choice are offered. Has Delhi University given the green signal
to colleges to offer varied courses? Even if colleges come forward with new
courses, the curriculum, structure and course texts have to be approved by the
Academic Council before they can be introduced. The other big question is
whether colleges have space to accommodate students from other colleges for one
or two semesters in addition to their existing strength. The most difficult
question is will the colleges accept students from other colleges and what
should be the eligibility requirement? Will the elite colleges accept students
from non-elite colleges or will they resort to barter whereby the elite
colleges will accept a First divisioner from non-elite colleges provided the
latter absorbs their second or third divisioners. Overarching all these
questions is where are the teachers to be found for these different Foundation
courses?
Again if two
Disciplines are to be taken for a Honours degree, the student should be
permitted to do his/her post graduation in any one of them. Delhi University
has limited this option to Discipline I which makes a travesty of pursuing
Discipline II. The Associate degree
should be dispensed with and the Baccalaureate degree at the end of third year
is to be awarded after sufficient skill training is given under the rubric of
application courses.
The writer is not
against the makeover that Delhi University is attempting. But sufficient groundwork has not been done. It
is essential to train college teachers in inter-disciplinary understanding for
at least six months to teach Foundation courses. It will not be a bad idea if an
Indian Education Service is established and training is given in a holistic
learning atmosphere. Till such time we have a good number of trained teachers
in colleges, it would be better to introduce compulsory lectures called “Great
Book Series” where scholars from different disciplines will give lectures on seminal
works relating to their disciplines to help students understand all the Best
that has been said and written in the world. Starting from Kautilya’s Arthasastra
to Amartya Sen’s Capability Theory, from the Gita to the Bible to Koran and to
other sacred books, from Aryabatta to Einstein to Fritzof Capra, from the
Indian epics to the Greek epics to world literature, from Indian history to
World History etc, these lectures are to be spread through one whole year and
form the basis of Foundation courses. Students can sign for them and attend
them in any college as they should be Open lectures and when they are back in
their respective colleges , they should choose two books from two different
disciplines per semester and make both oral and written presentations on which
they will be evaluated . Disciplines I and II can be the students’ choice at
the end of the first year’s Foundation study.
.
A beginning has been
made. A thing well begun is half done. But to have it fully done, a little
focused thinking has to be bestowed on three basic questions: (a) the rationale
behind introduction of new UG courses (b) what are its objectives and what benefits
will accrue from that change and (c) how to implement the proposed change that
would enhance learning while serving as a gateway for employment. Hope Delhi
University, the Ministry of HRD and the UGC put their heads together to work on
what is going to be a change maker in Indian higher education. The imminent
need of the hour is to hasten slowly with the contemplated changes
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