Even as the admission process for undergraduate courses in Delhi University is set to begin this week, confusion over the implementation of the choice-based credit system (CBCS) in the new academic session continues. While the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all central universities to implement the new format from the upcoming session, Delhi University (DU) is yet to direct its colleges, maintaining that it is “awaiting instructions from the commission”, university sources said. “We are waiting for a direction from the UGC after which we will take a decision regarding the implementation of CBCS. Meanwhile, we are preparing for the same and are ready for the transition. Once we get to hear from UGC, we will follow the due process and take approval from the varsity’s statutory bodies and implement the same,” a senior DU official said. [related-post] While officials remained reticent about the exact nature of the instructions, they claimed that preparations for the change are underway. Colleges, on the other hand, admitted that there was no clarity with regard to preparing syllabus, timetables and workload assessments. “The university has not issued any communication to us regarding CBCS. What are the colleges supposed to do? Things like designing syllabus, timetables, appointing adhocs according to the new system needs to be done. But there are only a few days left for admission and, as a result, we are in a complete fix,” a college principal said. Meanwhile, there is growing criticism within the university community on the implementation of the system. Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and a section of student groups have equated the development with the controversy around the defunct four-year undergraduate programme. Departments such as History and Mathematics, on the other hand, have passed resolutions turning down the university’s directions to draft curriculum for the new format. Concerns have also been raised on the university’s autonomy, with a section of the teaching community alleging an increase of “outside interference” in its functioning. Earlier this year, the Human Resource Development Ministry had questioned the DU administration about its preparedness for implementing CBCS. Following this, DU had asked faculty heads to work on the new format and decide the curriculum. This move, however, had faced criticism from DU statutory body members who had alleged that the university is violating norms as the issue was never placed before the statutory bodies. The university had claimed that it was bound to follow directives from MHRD and implement CBCS, adding that the matter will be tabled at its statutory body meetings once “preparations” for introducing the new format were complete. Recently, however, the university seems to have had a change of heart when it said it will not accept directives until the varsity receives a go-ahead from its statutory bodies.
