Delhi University Approves One-Year PG Courses Under NEP, Clears MOOC Credits Amid Faculty Dissent
Delhi University okays one-year PG courses, MOOC credits, SAP plan; dissent raised over process and academic impact.
New Delhi: One-year postgraduate programmes across several departments were approved at Delhi University's (DU) Academic Council (AC) meeting held on Wednesday, officials said.
The council also cleared one-year PG courses based on the Postgraduate Curriculum Framework (PGCF), 2024, for several faculties, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, as the fourth year of the university's four-year undergraduate programme nears completion, officials added.
The council also approved the guidelines and recommendations for providing flexibility to students to earn up to 5 per cent of the total credits prescribed in courses offered on SWAYAM and other MOOC (Massive open online courses) platforms.
A dissent note signed by several academics flagged "significant academic implications" that may emerge with the clause.
A proposal to launch a 'Semester Away Program' (SAP) in collaboration with foreign higher education institutions, amid dissent, was also passed.
The note also said that the zero hour of the meeting, where elected council members often raise additional issues, was brought to an abrupt end.
"The decision to proceed in a manner that curtailed debate and foreclosed meaningful engagement with dissenting views reflects a disregard for established democratic norms and collective decision making," it said.
Monami Sinha, an elected AC member, said that when the issue of SWAYAM and MOOC was raised, the meeting was abruptly adjourned by the vice chancellor.
"We were dissenting and the meeting was abruptly ended. We have no clarity on what decision was finally taken," Sinha said.
DU registrar Vikas Gupta, however, told PTI that the agenda item dealing with introduction of SWAYAM and MOOC had been passed by the AC and it now awaits the approval of the Executive Council (EC).
"Teachers have dissented against the proposal. However, we are only suggesting introduction of 5 per cent of total credits through the courses and we should encourage students to learn from all types of portals that can contribute to their education," Gupta said.
On the SAP, Gupta said the collaboration will allow a Delhi University student to complete one semester at a Foreign Higher Education Institution (FHEI).
The credits earned by a student at the FHEI will be counted towards the fulfilment of the requirements for the award of their diploma or degree, he added.
Elected members, however, expressed a concern that the fund for the programme would be generated through fees.
According to a press statement released after the meeting, the VC has called upon all departments to compile a list of the top 20 journals in their fields and submit it within 30 days, to address difficulties faced by researchers in publishing their papers.
"He stated that departments should establish specific criteria for these journals and assign a point system to them. Based on this evaluation, a priority list of journals is to be prepared by assigning scores accordingly," it said.
Acting on the recommendations of the Academic Council's Standing Committee on Academic Matters, the council approved the two-year MA Philosophy programme, including semester-wise courses, under the Faculty of Arts.
Approvals were also granted for courses across disciplines such as Punjabi, Hindi, English and Sanskrit.
The AC cleared Self-Learning Material (SLM) for School of Open Learning (SOL/COL) courses in line with the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022.
In addition, programmes, including the Master of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Delhi School of Journalism, MSc, Mathematics (one-year and two-year formats), and the second-semester curriculum for MA Hindi Journalism were approved, along with courses in Computer Science and other subjects.
The AC approved the introduction of super-speciality courses, such as DM (Pediatric Nephrology) at Lady Hardinge Medical College and DM (Medical Genetics) at Maulana Azad Medical College, with two seats each annually.
It further cleared a proposal to rename the 'Research Council' as the 'Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Council'.
According to the DU statement, a two-year MEd programme with an intake of 50 seats was approved for Maharishi Valmiki College of Education.
The council granted in-principle approval for several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to be offered through DU's distance and online education platforms from the 2027-28 academic session.
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