JOIN USAfter days of standoff with the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Delhi University on Friday finally decided to scrap the controversial four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) and revert to the earlier three-year format.
Over two lakh students, however, will still have to wait as the admission process will resume only after the varsity chalks out a new plan.
Soon after the announcement of its decision to roll back the FYUP, DU set up a committee of its college principals to “assist” it in “devising and ensuring a speedy completion of the admission process”.
The decision to surrender to the UGC’s direction came after the higher education regulator rejected DU’s proposal to allow both a three-year and a tweaked four-year course as a “compromise formula”.
The UGC, under instruction from the HRD Ministry, refused to accept the varsity’s proposal, saying its directive was “clear and unambiguous” that the FYUP should be rolled back and students be admitted only to the three-year undergraduate programme, which was in force till 2012-13 in all colleges of the varsity.
“In line with the directive of the UGC, the university has decided to roll back the FYUP.
Consequently, the admission process shall be conducted under the scheme of the courses that were in force in the academic session 2012-13 in all the colleges of the University of Delhi,” DU Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh said in a statement.
The colleges have put on hold the admission process, which was to start on Monday, following a stern order from the UGC to not admit students under the FYUP. “The University of Delhi recognises the need of the hour. It is of paramount importance to protect the interests of the students by ensuring the start of the admission process,” Singh said.
Reacting to the varsity’s decision, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said, “I respect the autonomy of institutions but autonomous institutions were created to serve people. One shouldn’t sacrifice the interest of our students at the altar of prestige.”