New Delhi: Students of Delhi University will now be able to finish their degrees in a span of 10 years instead of six as earlier proposed for the new four-year undergraduate programme.
This was decided in a marathon meeting of the varsity`s Academic Council which went on till 2 AM this morning.
A total of 54 courses, including 11 foundational courses, were approved for the new four-year programme in a two-day special meeting of DU`s top academic body.
"Students can now finish their degrees in 10 years instead of six as proposed earlier. They will also be eligible to get their Bachelor Honours/B Tech degrees by scoring an aggregate of 40 per cent instead of the earlier required aggregate of 50 per cent," Council member Sanjay Kumar said.
Kumar said syllabus for courses will be reviewed annually and changes to be made accordingly. "The decision comes as several courses have remained same for over 10-20 years."
Other significant decisions taken in the meeting included allowing students to opt for any of the four application courses irrespective of the subject background they belong to.
"A student with science background can choose an application course of the commerce department. Students will have more choice," Kumar said.
Students will also be eligible for an MA under Delhi University if they choose to do six papers on the same minor subjects.
During the meeting, there were six dissents in a house of over 100 council members over the decisions taken.
"Those who dissented have been consistently voicing against the four-year programme. The argument is that the four-year structure is a flawed one and the courses have been passed in a hurry," Amitav Chakrobarty, a member, said.
The Council also approved changes in the university ordinances, including changes in nomenclature of degrees and admissions under reserved categories.
The four-year programme with multiple degree options will entail a shift from the present 10+2+3 scheme to a four-year graduation with multiple exit points.
PTI
