DU unlikely to overhaul PG courses this yr
It is highly unlikely to change the format in the middle of the session now. Also, the students have to take semester exams in December. HANSRAJ SUMAN, member, DU’S standing panel & academic council
NEW DELHI: The Delhi University (DU) is unlikely to switch to the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) format in its postgraduate courses this year as several departments are yet to restructure and submit their syllabi despite the academic session starting two months ago.
DU officials said the varsity was supposed to rearrange its postgraduate courses to fit the CBCS system from this academic session. As per the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) guidelines, students who completed their graduation under the CBCS should take up master courses in the same format.
This year, the first batch of undergraduates, who passed under the CBCS format, took up postgraduate courses. This means students who passed their graduation in the CBCS format will have to take up the masters in the semester format.
Currently, postgraduate courses at the university are conducted i n semester mode, wherein, students are evaluated on the basis of marks. Under the CBCS system, the students’ scores are converted into grades. The students are also given a choice to choose from prescribed courses, which are referred as ‘core’, ‘elective’ or ‘minor’ or ‘soft skill’ courses, and each course is assigned certain credit.
According to officials, due to a delay by the administration, several departments could not get time to understand the CBCS format causing a delay in the revision process of the syllabi.
“Even as the university’s standing committee for academic affairs has approved the revised courses for many departments, some are yet to finish restructuring the syllabus. Departments such as History, Sociology, Linguistics, Chemistry and Political Science are yet to submit their final syllabus to the standing committee. The Economics department has refused to make changes in such a short period,” said Nachiketa Singh, a member of the standing committee.
According to committee members, once the revised syllabi is passed by the standing committee, it will be sent for a final note to the academic council (AC) — the university’s highest decision making body.
“It will take another one month to complete the process as the next AC meeting is scheduled in the last week of September. It is highly unlikely to change the format in the middle of the session now. Also, the students will have to take semester exams in December, just three months after the academic council’s meeting,” Hansraj Suman, a member of both standing committee and the academic council, said.
In DU, the CBCS system was introduced in undergraduate courses in 2015, amid opposition by a section of faculty members. The teachers have been claiming that the CBCS syllabus was prepared without “proper thinking”.