New Delhi: Members of Delhi University`s
Academic Council continued their protest on Saturday against what
they called a unilateral "imposition" of semester-based
syllabi in undergraduate courses of the science department.
In a special meeting on Thursday, the Academic Council
had approved the courses to be implemented from session
2010-2011, but members say the decision was imposed by the
Vice Chancellor.
"We are not against the semester system per se, but we
do not want it to be implemented in a hurry, and that is what
is being done by the university administration. We are against
the manner in which it is being imposed, and this will lead to
chaos," said Prof J Khuntia, member, AC.
The members said the agitation started soon after the
Academic Council meeting during which VC Deepak Pental refused
a debate on the revised syllabi of 12 courses and got it
approved without any discussion.
"We were not even given time to study the revised
syllabi, and the heads of departments stood up and pronounced
their approval before the VC himself said the courses stand
approved," he said.
The Vice Chancellor had earlier acknowledged that
there were differences in the university over implementation
of the semester system, but went ahead with the procedure.
"We have to look at the issue (of semester) from the
perspective of the welfare of students. We will have to
implement it anyhow by 2011, as it is mandated by the UGC and
is a government directive," Pental had said last week.
The Vice Chancellor issued an appeal yesterday, asking
the agitating members to withdraw their protest. However, the
Academic Council members have refused to leave the VC office.
The agitating members said they will withdraw only
when they have an assurance that the issue of semester will be
reviewed and not imposed unilaterally.
PTI
