The student-teacher ratio in most Delhi University colleges in a majority of physical sciences courses is skewed.
Many classes have a student strength of over 100 while the University Grants Commission (UGC) says there should be one teacher for only 60 to 80 students.
“In the first year of Chemistry (hons) there are 250 students in total. The classes are divided into two, bringing the student strength down to 125 in each class,” said a third year Ramjas College student. He added that the high number
of students is only in the first year.
Also at the same college, one Physics (hons) first year class reportedly has 110 students.
“The total student strength in the Physics (hons) first year is around 230,” the student added.
According to university teachers, overcrowding began with the implementation of Other Backward Classes expansion plan in 2007 under which every DU college increased the number of seats by 27 per cent to accommodate an OBC quota. The UGC gave Rs 725 crore to the University for developing infrastructure to meet the burden of the increase.
“The seats were increased for the OBC but there was hardly any infrastructural development like constructing more classes or laboratories or appointing more teachers. The students squeeze into the limited space available. In some science sections of the colleges, it is impossible to conduct practicals,” said Abha Dev Habib, professor of Physics in Miranda House. She added that over 88 first year Physics students are enrolled in her course.
According to a Hansraj College professor, instead of the students doing the science practicals themselves, the teachers just demonstrate the experiments due to lack of space and apparatus.
“There is a total lack of apparatus and other facilities needed in a laboratory. We have to make groups of students but that limits the students' learning process. In a group of four only one can do an experiment, the remaining three just watch,” added Habib.
According to Naveen Gaur, professor of Physics at Dyal Singh College, there are over 300 students in the first semester of the BSc courses.
“With such huge numbers, even after dividing up the students, one ends up with 100 students or even more in one class,” said Gaur. He cites another reason for such high numbers. “Last year the admission process changed. Initially there was a centralised admission process. In the 2011-2012 academic year, there were `over admissions' as each college was responsible for their own admissions. That did not go well,” he added.
Faculty of Arts also suffers from overcrowding. For a compulsory paper for MA History (previous), there are around 300 students. “The MA History (previous) course has been divided in clusters of two or three. But the student strength is still over 100. It's the same situation with MA Political Science,” said an associate professor of History.
“It is an approximately 55-minute class, and with so many students the teacher can easily spend 15-20 minutes just to take the attendance,” said Siraj an MPhil Student. A senior official from Ramjas College said plans for infrastructural development are in the process.
While Kirori Mal College and Faculty of Arts have started construction of more classrooms, other colleges haven't. “We spoke to the Dean of Student Welfare who told us that only Rs 200 crore is left with colleges from the amount given by the UGC for infrastructural development. But hardly any college building new blocks or classes. Colleges like Rajdhani or Deshbandhu are in a pathetic state," added Siraj.
The semester system which was implemented in 2011 in all the UG courses also added to the burden.