DU four Year UG programme in total disarray

Updated on: Thursday, August 08, 2013

A Delhi University English teacher described the textbook for 'Language, Literature and Creativity' foundation course as "fit to circulate among little children." As teachers find their fears about the foundation course—that they would be very basic and take up vital time—come true, they are trying to find ways to at least make the 11 compulsory courses "meaningful".

St Stephen's College has "formalized the process," as spokesman Karen Gabriel puts it, by preparing "advanced readings" for each group. "We are looking at the total teaching hours and have worked out how long it will take us to teach the prescribed courses. For the remaining teaching-time, there will be advanced readings on the same idea on which the course is based," says Gabriel.

At Lady Shri Ram College, there was a round of orientations for teachers, and senior lecturers have been asked to teach the course.

That the FCs are taking up a lot of time and most of the "premium periods"—the early morning ones when students are more alert—is another complaint. Moreover, for the "Integrating Mind, Body and Heart" course, "students will ... be asked to maintain a diary which shall record any episodes that happen in her life and which bear some resemblance to the chosen episodes from Gandhi's life for a comparative study.""The English FC includes word grids for identifying birds and colours," says a teacher. Students are also "introduced" to Santa Claus and vampires.

A protest organized by left-leaning student bodies, including All India Students' Association, Students' Federation of India, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, Democratic Students' Union and All India Democratic Students' Organisation, on Wednesday drew support even from politically neutral students. Students added that they were being taught prime and composite numbers, that the timetables were not organized and the classes were crowded.

"The university is not at all prepared. There are no books and no teachers for most of the foundation courses. There are 80-90 students in a single room and sometimes we have to attend lectures standing," said commerce student Sakshi. Nearly 1,000 students—many of them in first year—participated along with a few older students while a large number of cops kept a watch.

DU four Year UG programme in total disarray

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