Delhi University's four year programme challenged in Delhi High Court

Brighten

Editor

posted on 11 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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A petition challenging University of Delhi's four-year undergraduate programme was on Wednesday filed in the Delhi High Court, claiming that the new education system is "misconceived and illegal". The petition alleges that the new education system is in gross violation of the National Policy on Education (NPE) and has sought that the NPE be declared "as mandatory and binding" upon Delhi University (DU).

In their plea, the Forum of Indian Legists (FIL), an association of lawyers, alleged that the varsity is going to make lakhs of students "guinea pigs" of the new education system. "By way of the petition, the petitioners challenge the decision of the respondent 1 (Delhi University) to make structural changes in the education system by introducing a mis-conceived and totally illegal four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP)," the petition said.

FIL also contended that the University does not have the power to restructure the education system. The court listed the matter for July 17. The petition has sought quashing of all the resolutions, allegedly passed by the Academic Council and Executive Council of DU, for creating and bringing into effect the FYUP. The petition has also raised several questions, including whether "the time span for obtaining a non-specialised general degree can be enhanced or reduced without prior approval of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and without changing the NPE.

The petition said that under the FYUP, students in their second, third and fourth years will be awarded Diploma, Bachelor Degree and Bachelor Degree with Honours, respectively, and alleged that none of these degree are recognised by the UGC. The petitioner association has also sought that all the admissions made to the FYUP be treated as being made to the three-year programme which was in force till the last academic session.

It has also contended in its petition that the Delhi University is not an autonomous body and "is bound to act as per the policies of the UGC", which has not till date formulated or evolved any policy for making undergraduate courses a four-year affair.