Govt has "trampled" the autonomy of DU: Tewari

Attacking the government over its handling of the issue relating to Delhi University's Four- Year Undergraduate Programme(FYUP), Congress leader Manish Tewari today alleged it has "trampled and trifled with the autonomy of a premium academic institution.

"It is not really a question of a four-year graduate programme qua a three-year graduate programme because all of us tend to lean toward the three-year programme and that's what National Students Union of India and the teachers' organisations affiliated to Congress have been articulating and agitating for.

"The fundamental question is the manner in which the current government has trampled and trifled with the autonomy of a premium academic institution like Delhi University," Tewari said.

He said the incident would also have implications for the credibility of Delhi University which has become a "laughing stock and its credibility lies in tatters".

"If they wanted that there should be a three-year programme this year, the decision should have been taken early in the day rather than leave it for the last moment and put lakhs of students and their parents into quandary and not to talk about the future of those who had opted the Four-Year course last year," he said.

Criticising the government's handling of the matter, he said "it is only indicative of the chaos which they are going to be perpetuating in the education sector."
Responding to a question on the decision of DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh to resign, Tewari called it "unfortunate".

He said it is a reflection of the respect government has for academic institutions and their leaders.

"Why things should have come to such a pass that the Vice Chancellor needed to step down?," he said adding HRD Ministry, UGC and DU should have sorted out the matters.

To a question relating to the decisions taken during the term of the previous government, Tewari said that rather than blaming the UPA, the government needs to take responsibility for its actions.