Delhi University Withdraws Strategic Plan (2022-2047) amid Plagiarism Claims

Criticism arose against the University of Delhi Strategic Plan (2022-2047) for allegedly borrowing content from plans of various national and international universities like the University of Sheffield, Ohio State University, and IGNOU.

Delhi University has withdrawn its Strategic Plan (2022-2047) amidst allegations of plagiarism that stirred controversy. During the Academic Council meeting, the DU Vice Chancellor urged the Strategic Plan Committee to take seriously the recommended changes offered by members.

Criticism arose against the University of Delhi Strategic Plan (2022-2047) for allegedly borrowing content from plans of various national and international universities like the University of Sheffield, Ohio State University, and IGNOU.

In a specially convened Academic Council meeting focused on the University of Delhi's Strategic Plan (2022-2047), members emphasized the plan's significance for the institution's future. Following discussions and input from attendees, the Vice Chancellor urged the Strategic Plan Committee to thoroughly reconsider the suggestions.

The Vice Chancellor encouraged all Academic Council members to carefully review the strategic plan and provide essential recommendations to the committee. Additionally, linguistic experts and editors will join the committee to examine the linguistic intricacies of the draft. The Vice Chancellor also emphasized the need for prompt editing of the draft's content, which will be subsequently shared with the members for further discussion and approval.

In response to these developments, certain Academic Council members expressed concern, stating that a prestigious institution like DU should not endorse such a restrictive vision, especially as it nears its centenary.

Dr. Vikas Gupta, an Academic Council Member and Associate Professor of History at the University of Delhi, criticized the proposed strategic plan for its potential to increase fees, self-financing of courses within a competitive funding structure, and the university's reliance on non-state funding even for infrastructure developments. He highlighted that the plan prioritizes a market model of academic disciplines focused on skills over the critical development of theoretical branches of learning.

Another Academic Council member, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, condemned the use of a plagiarized document as the foundation of DU's Strategic Plan 2022-47. Dhusiya strongly opposed any form of plagiarism and found it alarming that such a document was up for discussion by DU's top authorities.

Teachers criticized the strategic plan and demanded its immediate withdrawal, pointing out numerous plagiarized segments, including the preface, which was copied verbatim from foreign university websites.