DU officially scraps FYUP; B.Tech students hold protest

Zee Media Bureau/ Deepak Nagpal

New Delhi: A day after the Delhi University (DU) told the University Grants Commission (UGC) that it was scrapping the controversial Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), the varsity`s Academic and Executive Councils on Saturday approved the move. The decision clears the way for the University to revert to its original three-year course format. The decision was made by way of resolutions. At the Academic Council meeting, eight of the 90 members opposed the resolution, saying the Delhi University "didn`t hold discussions". "Academic Council has passed the resolution to implement the three-year under graduate programme without holding any discussion which is very unfortunate," Sanjay Kumar, member of Academic Council, who opposed the resolution, said. He charged that the Council did not seek views of members and simply passed the resolution within two minutes. The decision came amid confusion among students who had taken admission into the FYUP last year when it was first introduced. The UGC is working on a plan to shift some 60,000 students who had enrolled in FYUP last year, to the three-year course. These students will now have to complete the remaining three years of their course in two years. Students who enrolled in four-year B.Tech programme last year this morning held protests outside the Ministry of Human Resource Development demanding reinstatement of the FYUP. Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to stop the protesting students from entering ministry premises. The students said that they want the B.Tech course to remain for four years and also the course content to remain same. We want B.Tech degree and not B.Sc degree, they added. Students who have cleared their Class 12 exams this year are also as confused. While the University is now reverting to its three-year programme, there is no clarity on when the admission to the new academic session will start. While over three lakh students have applied for various courses in the DU with some 54,000 seats available, the 60-odd colleges had halted admissions in the wake of the FYUP row between the DU and the University Grants Commission (UGC) – the agency that funds and coordinates with varsities on education policies. Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh had on Friday stressed on the importance of protecting the interests of the students seeking admission into the university. "The University of Delhi recognises the need of the hour. It is of paramount importance to protect the students by ensuring the start of the admission process," Singh had said. The University has appointed a committee of 12 college principals to oversee the transition process from FYUP to the three-year format.