Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava
New Delhi: Facing criticism for delay in admissions, the Delhi University (DU) on Thursday sent a new proposal to the University Grants Commission (UGC) that the Honours courses run by the varsity can be reverted back to the three year format while the B.Tech course can continue to be a four year one.
Also read: FYUP row: DU`s letter to UGC
Addressing a press conference here, DU spokesperson Malay Neerav said, “We have received a letter from the UGC yesterday asking the DU to comply with its order on FYUP and begin the admission process for the three-year UG programme from today.”
“I wish to inform that today we have sent a new proposal to the UGC suggesting that the B.Tech be of 4 years and giving honours in the three-year course. We are awaiting response on the new proposal from UGC,” the DU spokesperson said.
Stressing on the need to find a middle ground, the DU media coordinator said, “We can start the admission process soon and can make changes in the curriculum suggested by noted academicians once we get a reply from the UGC."
Neerav also assured that admissions for 3-year programme will commence shortly.
The statement from the DU came a day after the UGC directed the Delhi University to begin the admission process for the three-year UG programme and not FYUP from today.
In its directive, the UGC had asked DU to comply by today morning with the directive to roll back four-year undergraduate programme.
However, it is still unclear whether DU will comply with the UGC directive. The DU affiliated colleges expressed difficulty in implementing the order without clearance from the "competent" authority.
Meanwhile, the members of All India Students Association (AISA) today protested against the UGC order to the Delhi University to scrap its four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP).
As per reports, several AISA activists were detained at the Central Secretariat Metro shortly after they began their agitation. Police had to resort to mild lathi charge o disperse them.
Meanwhile, UGC chairman Ved Prakash met Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani today, but he refused to take questions.
UGC`s standing committee, which was scheduled to meet at 5 pm today to resolve the FYUP row, postponed the meet, said reports.
Admissions were slated to begin on June 24 but were deferred following the stand off between DU and UGC over the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) which led to uncertainty over the admission process that involves the fate of over 2.7 lakh students clamouring for 54,000 seats in 64 colleges.
Although 57 of 64 colleges to the university may have agreed to the UGC order to end the controversial four-year undergraduate programme but they can shift to the earlier format only after the varsity amends rules in this regard, reports said.
A defiant Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh made no statement but held confabulations with his supporters. One of the academicians involved in the compromise proposal talked to Singh over telephone and suggested that he adopt a middle path but the Vice Chancellor continued to be defiant, the academic said.
Meanwhile, a group of academicians, said to be supporters of DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh, proposed a three-year honours programme in place of the four-year course.
Ever since UGC directed DU to roll back FYUP and conduct admission for three-year programme, there has been uncertainty over the admission process that involves the fate of over 2.7 lakh students clamouring for 54,000 seats in 64 colleges.
