New HRD minister to review FYUP

The newly-appointed Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani has assured National Democratic Teachers’ Association (NDTF), teachers’ wing of the BJP, to take cognizance of their complaint regarding the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) and other university related issues. 

At the felicitation ceremony of Irani and all seven members of Parliament from Delhi organised by NDTF, Irani said that she will take note of the matter but at a formal stage. She said that she will hold widespread consultations on this matter at all levels and take a decision. 

A delegation of NDTF is due to visit Irani on Monday with a formal complaint regarding the controversial FYUP and other university issues. ‘I will not make any promises at this stage. I’ll receive your complaints formally and assure best possible action. I’m also concerned about the messy state of affairs of Delhi University’, said Irani during her short speech at the session.

Ever since FYUP was introduced in a ‘hurried’ manner last year, it has remained in controversies for all the wrong reasons. The man at the center of it all is Dinesh Singh, the Vice Chancellor of DU, who has been accused by teachers’ associations of implementing FYUP without consulting anyone. 

‘The VC has spread the reign of terror in the university. The university no longer functions democratically. All the important decisions are taken arbitrarily without consulting anyone’, said Inder Mohan Kapahy, who has been the president of NDTF. He also added that the previous Congress government had taken the university backwards. ‘In the garb of adopting US pattern of education, the trio of Kapil Sibal, Dinesh Singh and Sam Pitroda has rather taken the university backward,’ Kapahy said.

Meanwhile, student bodies like All India Students Association, DU’s All India Democratic Students Organisation and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, students union of School of Open Learning (SOL) with DUTA and Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) held a protest outside the ministry, demanding return of the previous three-year course structure. The call to roll back FYUP has gained momentum ever since BJP has assumed power at the Centre. 

Interestingly, Smriti Irani spearheaded the campaign against FYUP last year.