DU to standardise classroom sizes in UG and PG days before new session

Indian Express

2 days ago

Just days before the University of Delhi implements the four-year undergraduate programme for the first time under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the administration has issued a fresh notification standardising classroom sizes across all its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The move, aimed at bringing 'uniformity in Teacher-Student ratio,' comes as Delhi University prepares for a structurally new academic session starting in early August.
According to the notification dated July 28, undergraduate lecture groups are to be capped at 60 students, and tutorials and practical classes are limited to 20 each. For postgraduate programmes, the corresponding limits are 50 for lectures, 20 for tutorials, and between 15 and 20 for practicals.
'Classroom size, in terms of the number of students, is hereby notified for compliance by all concerned,' the document, issued by the DU registrar, states.
This latest order replaces an earlier directive issued in May 2023, and builds on a similar set of instructions circulated in November 2022. DU had then fixed batch sizes at 60 for lectures, 30 for tutorials, and 25 for practicals in undergraduate courses, and 50, 25, and 15–20, respectively, for postgraduate courses.
However, the earlier guidelines had seen patchy implementation, prompting the administration to reassert and tighten the norms ahead of the new academic cycle.
The new guidelines also specify student-group sizes for interdisciplinary and skill-based courses that form a core part of the NEP curriculum, including Generic Electives (GEs), Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs), and Value-Added Courses (VACs).
For undergraduate programmes, lectures for these courses may range from 20 to 60 students, with tutorials and practicals similarly capped at 20. For postgraduate programmes, lectures for SEC and VAC courses are to have a class size of 20, but no tutorials or practicals are mandated. 'In case of SEC and VAC papers, the practical size should be the same as the class size,' the notification adds.
The document outlines a minimum threshold as well. 'In UG, minimum students for any course shall be 20. In case adequate students are not available, a cluster of colleges shall under[take] the teaching learning process.' This provision is likely aimed at supporting smaller departments and newer courses that may struggle with enrolment under the expanded four-year framework.
DU has also clarified that the specified class sizes apply 'on sanctioned strength and are exclusive of supernumerary seats.' This means that additional admissions through quotas or special categories are not to be factored into the fixed classroom limits.
The notification permits colleges to create mentor-mentee groupings under UGC guidelines, and encourages optimal use of laboratory facilities. 'Colleges may make arrangements for practical classes in such a way that the Laboratory facilities are put to optimum utilisation.'