New HRD minister may roll back FYUP

As Smriti Irani takes charge as minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), the future of the controversial four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) of University of Delhi (DU) hangs in balance. 

Interestingly, Irani, along with senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders including Arun Jaitley and Prakash Javadekar and Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members intensively campaigned against the introduction of FYUP in DU.

The BJP also promised to rollback FYUP in its election manifesto. The call for roll-back has gained momentum ever since BJP has gained power at the Centre. ABVP, student wing of the BJP, has also passed a resolution against the programme during its ongoing national executive meeting in Mangalore, Karnataka.

The ‘much-hurried’ programme was introduced by DU despite reservations from various quarters including students’ bodies and teachers’ associations against it. Inder Kapahi, former president of National Democratic Teachers’ Front (NDTF), said the university violated University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and rushed to implement FYUP. ‘There is no provision of four-year undergraduate course in UGC norms. The UGC clearly states that the graduation must be of three years only. The Vice-Chancellor (VC) hurriedly implemented FYUP. There were no consultations held with the teachers and students’ bodies.’

He also added that the future of FYUP is bleak given that majority of the stakeholders (government, students and teachers) are against it. ‘Its future is bleak. The most important functionaries in the government on Tuesday (such as Arun Jaitley, Prakash Javadekar, Harsh Vardhan) are against it. There will be a lot of psychological pressure on DU to roll back the programme,’ said Kapahi. Nandita Narayan, president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) said that the new government must fulfill on its poll promises and take strict action against the VC for violating UGC norms.

‘We are hopeful that the government will help restore the prestigious reputation of DU by rolling back FYUP,’ adding that ‘action must also be taken against the VC since the course was implemented in the most bizarre manner without any consultations.’

Meanwhile, DU has maintained that there is no question of rolling back since it was implemented by the Academic and Executive council of the University. 

‘There is no question of rolling back. It was implemented following the decision of Academic and Executive Council of the university’, said Malay Neerav, Joint Dean and media coordinator of DU.