DU Approves All Courses of Study Under CBCS with Majority

New Delhi, July 14, 2015: The Academic Council of Delhi University (DU) on Monday approved with a "huge majority" (79 members) all courses of study under the Choice based Credit System (CBCS) for the ensuing academic session beginning July 20.

In its meeting held on Monday, the university's academic council "discussed all aspects of the CBCS that also included the examination and grading processes and accorded approval to the proposals of conduct related to these issues as well", a statement from the university said.

Vice chancellors of all central universities on July 7 had agreed to implement the CBCS in their institutions, saying their preparations were complete.

The move comes despite teachers and students protesting against the implementation of CBCS, saying it was adding to their distress.

However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) clarified that the introduction of CBCS would not "in any way" hamper the academic liberal environment of the universities.

The statement also said: "On matters of implementing the CBCS, the university does not foresee any major issue or difficulty at the ground level since admissions have been made in accordance with the basic and essential features of the CBCS such as degree nomenclature and specialisations."

It said the other features of the CBCS, like the electives and skills, "have also been approved and incorporated into the teaching programme commencing July 20, 2015 in a seamless manner".

Following the move, the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) in a statement said such implementation by the government showed that "there is no space of autonomy of the universities or serious engagement with syllabi thrust on students. This has only forced universities to a state of chaos and would cause them to go downhill".

The DUTA said that as part of its action programme to highlight "destruction" of the university, 18 elected Academic Council members have decided to take part in a sit-in.

It also appealed to the university authorities to defer the implementation for one year for a wider deliberation on the subject.

In a dissent note, the DUTA said colleges were "ill prepared" for yet another change.

IANS