HRD advises caution, asks DU not to implement credit system in haste

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry wants Delhi University (DU) to do a reality check before launching choice-based credit system from this year, even as the University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all the universities to introduce the new system from academic session of 2015-16 without fail.

As the academic council of the university, acting swift on a directive of the UGC, set in motion the introduction of the new system on Thursday, the ministry shot off a letter to them the same day and asked for the reasons for haste in rolling out the programme, sources said.

Seeking clarification, the ministry has also suggested that the university should not “misguide” students and create a mess by rolling out the choice-based credit system in a hurry if it was not prepared to implement the new system properly, sources added.

As the DU recently announced launch of massive open online courses (MOOCs), the ministry has questioned the university’s “preparedness” for its implementation too.

“We have asked them (DU) whether they have done the ground work which is required to implement the choice-based credit system. There are various pre-requisites which must be met before moving on to roll out the programme,” ministry sources told Deccan Herald.

Besides introduction of semester system, restructuring of syllabi in the form of modules, standardisation of examinations and switching over from numerical marking system from grading system are among the prerequisites for the introduction of the choice-based credit system.

“We want to know how much preparations they have done. Otherwise, rolling out of such a good programme in haste would only misguide students and create a mess,” ministry sources said.

The ministry has sought clarification from the university, apparently apprehending a possible backlash on the introduction of the new system with various sections of teachers and students of different political hues coming in strong protest to the move.

The university’s academic council passed a committee for choice-based credit system (CBCS) on Thursday, setting stage for introduction of the new system. The council’s decision, however, witnessed dissent from as many as 15 of its members and sparked a row.

Many teachers also said that new system was akin to the controversial FYUP, which the HRD Ministry forced DU to roll back last year.

ABVP reached HRD Ministry seeking Smriti Irani’s intervention. They demanded that a “wider debate” should be held in departments of the varsities and colleges and that students’ unions should also be involved in the discussions.