Delhi University top body gives nod to CUET for PG admissions

The executive council of Delhi University, which is the highest decision-making body, gave its approval to a number of reforms, including the adoption of CUET (Common University Entrance Test) for conducting postgraduate admissions and changes to the student-teacher ratio (classroom size) for lectures and tutorials for both undergraduate and PG courses.

The council also approved the syllabi for second semester undergraduate courses.

The coursework and syllabi for the second semester along with other proposals such as an increase in PhD submission fees were ratified by the executive council after it was passed by the academic council last month.

“The executive council also agreed that teachers will get 12 earned leaves per year to make up for the lost leaves during the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic sessions due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said DU registrar Vikas Gupta.

EC members Seema Das and Rajpal Singh Pawar registered their dissent against the decision to conduct PG admissions through CUET and the hike in PhD submission fee. “A hike of around ₹2,500 for PhD students will be a heavy burden for most of them. We opposed the move and registered our dissent,” said Pawar.

Das also raised objections to the new classroom size proposed by the university. In November, Delhi University issued a notification outlining the size of undergraduate classrooms in its colleges as 60 students for lectures, 30 for tutorials and 25 for practicals.

“The change in classroom size will adversely impact classroom learning. Tutorials are required for small group teaching and give students the chance to discuss topics that they may not otherwise be able to in a regular class. A size of 30 students for a tutorial is a lot and defeats the purpose of a tutorial,” said Das.

A number of issues pertaining to ad hoc teachers’ appointments and workload were raised during the ‘zero hour’ by executive council members. “We raised the issue of appointments on the basis of compassionate grounds. There were issues with the proposed workload for teachers. We suggested amendments and the matter will once again go to the academic council,” said VS Negi, executive council member.

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