350 English Teachers write to Delhi University VC demanding restoration of workload

The teachers have also urged to keep English as an AEC course and also as a Core Language course in BA and B.Com Programme

As many as 350 English department teachers of various colleges of Delhi University have sent a letter to the vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh with an appeal to intervene and restore the workload. The proposal of the UGCF approved by the University of Delhi contradicts the claims of the NEP and undermines its scope of attaining global standards in Higher Education.

The teachers have stated that the changed Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) will reduce workload by 40 percent leading to dilution of quality and job losses for hundreds of ad-hoc teachers. According to these teachers, while the NEP document claims to integrate the Indian education system with global demands, the UGCF's proposal to deny English even as an option in the AEC course is a regressive step.

“We, the undersigned English teachers across various colleges of the University of Delhi, appeal to you to take cognisance of the unprecedented loss of workload that English departments will suffer owing to the UGCF now approved by the University in the meetings of its Academic Council and Executive Council. This will not only lead to a dilution of academic quality but also loss of livelihood for the hundreds of ad-hoc teachers teaching for years, in college English departments,” reads the letter.

The teachers have stated that there is no option of English in AEC courses. The UGCF structure says that AEC courses are offered only in the languages included in the VIII Schedule: and that does not include English. This replaces the existing CBCS structure where English and Hindi/MIL are both offered as options for students in AECC: enabling students to exercise their choice of language according to their proficiency.

The signatory teachers have also claimed that in the proposed curriculum no exemption to students of North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Foreign nationals. As per the Statutes of the University of Delhi, students belonging to the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Foreign nationals are exempted from studying Hindi/MIL, and have always been given English as an option.

The proposed UGCF structure denies the aforesaid option to students and violates a laid down and long-standing enabling provision of the University in favour of students coming from diverse backgrounds.

Denial of Option to Students

“The proposed UGCF structure does not take into account the reality of school education where students study English till Class XII as a compulsory language across the country, as against the option of any other language in their Class XII exam. While the AEC courses offered in Indian languages are welcome, the removal of English as an AEC course amounts to the denial of options to students as per their proficiency level. It is ironic that while the NEP claims to offer unlimited choice to students, the proposed UGCF structure denies the same choice to students in not allowing them the option of English as an AEC course.

Removal of Core English Courses from BA/B.Com Programmes

The teachers in their letter have also claimed that to add insult to injury, the UGCF structure of the BA/B.Com Programme has removed the Core papers of English language offered in 2 of the first 4 semesters of the existing CBCS courses.

“Moreover, the compulsory English language courses that are offered at three levels, namely, A, B and C, depending on their proficiency level are now being removed from the UGCF - in this reducing the workload of the English department irreparably. In every section of the BA and B.Com Programme, a minimum of 30 lectures are lost (5 lectures each of English A, B and C across two courses): the loss is multiplied across every section. This loss is not compensated by the 3 lectures of GE courses allotted to BA/B.Com Programme,” states the letter.

The teachers have appealed to DU VC for the earnest appeal to intervene urgently and ensure that English as an AEC course and also as a Core Language course in BA and B.Com Programme courses remains intact.

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