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Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Mumbai University hikes fees for several courses after 17 years, colleges welcome move
Mumbai University recently hiked the fees for various courses offered by its departments and affiliated colleges before admissions. This revision comes after a gap of 17 years since the last hike in 2008. According to the university, the fee hike proposal had been pending for years due to the complexity of the decision. The final resolution was passed in a meeting of the Academic Council last year, and colleges were notified via circulars before the academic year 2025-26 admission process began. Some courses, especially those which are traditional and aided ones, have witnessed marginal fee hikes: from Rs 3,970 to Rs 4,501 for Bachelor of Arts (BA), from Rs 5,170 to Rs 5,701 for Bachelor of Science (BSc), and from Rs 3,970 to Rs 4,501 for Bachelor of Commerce (BCom). However, a few other popular courses, particularly those from the category of professional courses, have seen a more than marginal fee hike. For example, the Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) fee is increased to Rs 20,451 from Rs 12,030 and the Bachelor of Accounting and Finance (BAF) fee is raised to Rs 20,251 from Rs 12,430. International students admitted to Mumbai University will be charged five times. Highlighting that the fee hike is reasonable, an official from the university said, 'Colleges and departments have been struggling to run various courses with the existing fee structure due to rising costs of everything. Payment of teachers has been the most challenging. There has been no such fee revision for the 17 years, making it justified to review the existing fee structure.' While there is no outcry over fee hikes yet, colleges in the city, on the other hand, have urged that varsity should not wait so long to revise fees. The principal of a college said, 'Wait of 17 years is very long to revise fees of various courses. The government only provides salary grants for teachers appointed to approved posts. With sizable vacancies in the posts of teachers, colleges have to appoint teachers to run the courses. With the government not providing non-salary grants, it becomes very difficult for colleges to run the courses.' The principal of another college said, 'Considering the inflation rate, Mumbai University should rather look at the revision of fees every 2-3 years.'
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Infra worries loom over DU colleges ahead of 4-year UG programme launch
NEW DELHI: With just over a month and a half left before Delhi University (DU) launches the fourth year of its Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), questions are being raised about the university's preparedness. Many colleges still lack updated laboratories, a finalised curriculum and the necessary infrastructure to support the extended programme. What has further alarmed faculty and stakeholders is the absence of FYUP preparedness from the agenda of the Academic Council meeting held on May 10. This raises concerns about the university's planning and priorities. Abha Dev Habib, Secretary of the Delhi Teachers' Front (DTF), said, 'The University has created a situation where most students drop out before reaching the fourth year. Even if they continue, it won't make much sense since the core syllabus has been drastically reduced. The university is overburdening an already struggling system and lowering the quality of education.' She added, 'Preparations for the fourth year were not discussed in the Academic Council meeting, only the syllabus was. Even then, only 60% of colleges have approved the proposed syllabus. Building infrastructure in just one and a half months is impossible. It needs time, permissions, and funds — and there's been no discussion on funding. Yet, they're expecting significant research outcomes. How will that happen?' Another professor highlighted the lack of planning, saying, 'No survey has been done to assess how much space is needed or how resources will be managed. There's no clarity on funding either.'
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Come July, DU's undergrad students will enter their 4th year. Here's what they can expect
For the first time since the Delhi University (DU) adopted the National Education Policy (NEP), undergraduate students will formally step into a fourth academic year in July. The Academic Council last week approved the curriculum for the seventh and eighth semesters, effectively setting the stage for the complete implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior DU official said, 'With courses for the fourth year being cleared by the Academic Council on May 10, these will now be presented before the Executive Council on May 23. The university will tentatively begin the fourth year for students in July… Every student currently studying at DU has been enrolled under a four-year programme.' The new curriculum offers students the option to choose between three specialisation tracks in their final year – Dissertation Writing, Academic Projects, and Entrepreneurship. The first track is designed for those pursuing academic research, the second focuses on applied research, while the third allows students to develop entrepreneurial ideas through market research, business planning, and financial modelling. Each of these components carries 12 credits, distributed across the two final semesters. To accommodate the expanded academic load, DU plans to implement the University Grants Commission's '8 to 8' policy for class timings, under which classes can be scheduled between 8 am and 8 pm to maximise infrastructure use. 'Colleges like Hansraj, Kirori Mal, Hindu, and others are coming up with new structures and preparing to accommodate more students. Since the fourth year is research-oriented, we have a majority of faculty who have completed their PhDs, and we believe more teachers will be encouraged to pursue PhDs as it comes with an incentive,' the official said. A principal from a prominent North Campus college maintained that students will be at a crossroads. 'From a student's perspective, there are now two choices – either exit after the third year and prepare for CUET-PG or CAT, or continue with the fourth year. Even after opting for the fourth year, students can choose to exit midway. Colleges need to be prepared to offer both space and resources to support these choices.' The principal emphasised that while this is DU's first transition into a four-year system, it need not be overwhelming. 'The student can either continue with the programme, appear for a competitive exam, or pursue avenues like public service, NCC, or Defence. Colleges should support each of these pathways,' the principal said. Under the new structure, the total credits required for the FYUP will be 176, of which 164 are for direct teaching and 12 for research-related work. This is an increase from the credits mandated under the earlier Choice-Based Credit System. The additional 12 credits mark the formal introduction of a research component at the undergraduate level, which is central to NEP. The principal further said that while classroom infrastructure may not be a major problem, laboratory availability will be a concern. 'Research work will require more labs, especially for undergraduate students. Classes will also need to be scheduled carefully to ensure optimal use of existing infrastructure.' On whether this will lead to more pressure on faculty, the principal said, 'We will need to hire more non-teaching staff to keep labs running all six days. Research credits don't come under direct teaching, so they won't drastically increase faculty load on paper, but they will reduce timetable flexibility.' However, faculty members raised concerns about the feasibility and academic rigour of the new structure. Maya John, an elected Academic Council member and faculty at Jesus and Mary College, said, 'A majority of DU colleges lack the resources required to support the fourth year. There aren't enough laboratories, classrooms, computer systems, access to original software, no additional funds, and scholarships, among others, to support undergraduate research and academic projects. This, too, will compromise the quality of learning and research output at the undergraduate level. Further, students will face an immense load, as alongside studying and clearing the semester exams for core and elective papers, they will be pursuing research or entrepreneurship in both the seventh and eighth semesters. Managing this would be a difficult task.' She also flagged an increase in workload for teachers. 'College teachers will be bearing an extra workload of teaching fourth-year papers while also supervising dissertations and academic projects. Given this overburdening of teachers as well as the large number of students in most undergraduate courses whose dissertations, academic projects, and entrepreneurships will need supervision, the quality of undergraduate research will tendentially suffer.' On the ground, colleges are still trying to catch up with the infrastructural demands of a fourth year. 'There aren't enough labs, no adequate machinery, and no additional funding to support research or academic projects. This will impact the quality of research… Many of the courses passed in the seventh and eighth semesters have been significantly diluted. Moreover, considering the mere four credits and correspondingly fewer teaching hours assigned to crucial papers like Core Courses and Discipline-Specific Electives, the quality of the dissertations and academic projects that the students would be working on in the fourth year will be adversely affected.'
India Today
11-05-2025
- General
- India Today
Delhi University Vice Chancellor urges permanent faculty hires
In the 1022nd meeting of Delhi University's Academic Council, Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh urged affiliated college principals to prioritise the recruitment of permanent faculty over appointing guest lecturers. Highlighting the importance of consistent academic quality, Singh encouraged colleges to advertise and fill vacant posts at least once or twice a year, especially as retirements Academic Council also cleared multiple academic proposals aimed at expanding and modernising course offerings. Notably, the School of Open Learning (SOL) will introduce certificate, diploma, and advanced diploma courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages beginning in the 2025–26 academic session. Ramjas College is set to offer an Advanced Diploma (JP-3) in Japanese as part of this the Department of Distance and Continuing Education has been approved to offer certificate courses in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese from the 2024–25 academic year at the Open Learning Development Center under CISBC. In a push to strengthen skill-based learning, the council approved new syllabi and a host of Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs) under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022. These include cutting-edge subjects such as Robotics and Automation, Introduction to IoT with Arduino in Electronics, Low-Code/No-Code Development in Computer Science, and specialised Biomedical Science electives like Forensic Toxicology and Questioned Document improve access, the council also agreed to translate select course materials in Persian, Arabic, and Urdu into the meeting, DU Registrar Dr Vikas Gupta presented an action-taken report on prior decisions and tabled the minutes of the previous (1021st) council meeting held in December. All newly approved proposals will now move to the Executive Council for final ratification in its upcoming meeting scheduled for May 23. (With inputs from PTI)Must Watch
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
DU Academic Council: VC urges permanent faculty appointments; SOL to launch new language courses
Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh on Saturday urged all affiliated college principals to prioritise permanent faculty appointments over hiring guest faculty, according to an official statement issued by the university. The remarks were made during the 1022nd meeting of the Academic Council (AC), the university's top academic decision-making body. The Academic Council also approved several new courses, including a proposal by the School of Open Learning (SOL) to offer certificate, diploma and advanced diploma programmes in Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages from the 2025-26 academic session. Additionally, a one-year Advanced Diploma (JP-3) in Japanese will be introduced at Ramjas College. The Department of Distance and Continuing Education was also given the nod to start certificate courses in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese from the 2024-25 session at the Open Learning Development Center, CISBC. Among other academic decisions, the council approved new syllabi across faculties under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022. New Skill Enhancement Courses (SECs) were cleared, including Robotics and Automation and Introduction to IoT using Arduino in the Electronics domain, Low-Code/No-Code Development in Computer Science and new Biomedical Science courses such as Forensic Analysis of Biological Evidence, Forensic Toxicology, Questioned Document Examination, and Injury and Death. The council also approved the translation of Persian, Arabic and Urdu texts in the syllabus into English for better accessibility. During the Zero Hour of the meeting, the vice chancellor stressed the need for timely recruitment. 'Colleges should give priority to filling permanent posts instead of relying on guest faculty. They should advertise vacancies and complete appointment processes at least once or twice a year,' he said. The vice chancellor also asked principals to initiate action on posts that are currently vacant or are expected to fall vacant due to retirement. Responding to a question on faculty recruitment in 12 Delhi government-funded colleges, he said that discussions were ongoing with the Delhi government and that a positive outcome was expected soon. Registrar Dr Vikas Gupta placed the minutes of the 1021st AC meeting held on December 27 before the council for confirmation and presented an action report on previous decisions. The proposals approved by the Academic Council will now be sent to the Executive Council for final clearance. The Executive Council is scheduled to meet on May 23.
