New DU curriculum will lead to loss of hundreds of jobs: English Teachers

NEW DELHI: More than 400 English teachers of Delhi University, on Tuesday, wrote to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh raising concerns about the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) which they said will lead to job losses for hundreds of temporary teachers in the English department.

Teachers said that the proposed structures of the UGCF “singles out” the English department by omitting English as a core course from many bachelor’s programmes and removing the subject as an option in the ability enhancement compulsory courses (AECC).

In the letter signed by teachers from across colleges in Delhi University, they urged the Vice Chancellor to intervene and ensure that English remains as a core language course and an AECC course.

The full, unedited version of the letter is given below.

Professor Yogesh Singh,

Vice Chancellor

University of Delhi.

Sub: Appeal to Intervene and Restore the Workload of the English Departments of the University of Delhi.

Dear Prof Singh,

We, the undersigned English teachers across various colleges of the University of Delhi, appeal to you to take cognisance of the unprecedented loss of workload that English departments will suffer owing to the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) now approved by the University in the meetings of its Academic Council and Executive Council. We note with alarm, that the proposed structures of UGCF, single out the English department in particular for a massive reduction, almost in the range of 30 to 40% of its existing workload. This will not only lead to a dilution of academic quality but also loss of livelihood for the hundreds of adhoc teachers teaching for years, in college English departments.

With regard to this, we would like to draw your urgent attention to the following:

1. No option of English in AEC courses: The UGCF structure says that AEC courses are offered only in the languages included in VIII Schedule: and that does not include English. This replaces the existing CBCS structure where English and Hindi/MIL are both offered as options for students in AECC: enabling students to exercise their choice of language according to their proficiency.

Moreover, the AECC course was assigned 4 lectures — constituting a substantive workload of the English department in every college. The removal of English as an option in AEC will drastically reduce the workload of each English department in DU, thus threatening the livelihood of all adhoc teachers working in colleges.

2. No Exemption to Students of North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Foreign nationals:

As per the Statutes of the University of Delhi, students belonging to the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Foreign nationals are exempted from studying Hindi/MIL, and have always been given English as an option.

This statutory provision has been upheld and reiterated by the University in every academic reform undertaken by the University since 2005: whether in the semester system of 2010-11, FYUP of 2013 or the CBCS 2015. The proposed UGCF structure denies the aforesaid option to students and violates a laid down and a long-standing enabling provision of the University in favour of students coming from diverse backgrounds.

3. Denial of Option to Students: The proposed UGCF structure does not take into account the reality of school education where students study English till Class XII as a compulsory language

across the country, as against the option of any other language in their Class XII exam. While the AEC courses offered in Indian languages are welcome, the removal of English as an AEC course amounts to denial of option to students as per their proficiency level. It is ironic that while the NEP claims to offer unlimited choice to students, the proposed UGCF structure denies the same choice to students in not allowing them the option of English as an AEC course.

4. English as a Compulsory Language in Science and Commerce Courses in Class XII:

Students pursuing Science and Commerce courses in Class XII have studied English as the only compulsory language in National School Boards like CBSE and ISE Hence not allowing these students to opt for English even as an option in AEC is a violation of their academic choice and also unfair to their learning abilities.

Moreover English as an Ability Enhancement Course (AEC) allows access to the cutting edge resources and materials required for advanced research in these disciplines. Thus denying students the opportunity to study English as an AEC is cruel as it puts them in extreme disadvantage in terms of research, skill development and employment.

5. Removal of Core English Courses from BA/B.Com Programmes: To add insult to injury, the UGCF structure of BA/B.Com Programme has removed the Core papers of English language offered in 2 of the first 4 semesters of the existing CBCS courses. Moreover, the compulsory English language courses that are offered at three levels, namely, A, B and C, depending on their proficiency level are now being removed from the UGCF - in this reducing the workload of the English department irreparably. In every section of BA and B.Com Programme, a minimum of 30 lectures are lost (5 lectures each of English A, B and C across two courses): the loss is multiplied across every section. This loss is not compensated by the 3 lectures of GE courses allotted to BA/B.Com Programme.

6. Contradictory Claims of NEP and UGCF Proposals: The proposal of the UGCF approved by the University of Delhi contradicts the claims of the NEP, and undermines its scope of attaining global standards in Higher Education. While the NEP document claims to integrate the Indian education system with global demands, the UGCF's proposal to deny English even as an option in the AEC course is a regressive step, and denies students the opportunity to develop skills in a global language. English must be offered as one of the AEC courses to students, along with other Indian languages to ensure a holistic education.

7. Impediment to Research: The most important aspect of the NEP is the introduction of research in the advanced stages of Undergraduate education. However the same is compromised by the UGCF structure when it denies students the option of studying English as an Ability Enhancement Course. Any meaningful research across disciplines is conducted worldwide in the English medium. Hence, not allowing English as an AEC course amounts to denying students the opportunity to pursue quality research— especially in disciplines where materials are available only in the English language.

8. UGC Recommendation of English Language Courses: The UGC draft on the Four Year Undergraduate Programme published on Thursday, March 17, 2022, has categorically recommended compulsory language courses both in English and Indian languages across the initial semesters of the UG programme. This recommendation recognises the importance of English as a language of instruction and communication especially in advanced stages of education leading to research. Therefore a premier institution of higher learning like the University of Delhi should abide by the spirit of the recommendation and allow English to be offered as a language to all students enrolled in the UG programme in order to equip them to access advanced materials for their research.

Sir, you are the academic and the administrative head of the University of Delhi, and are also the custodian of academic excellence that our august institution is reputed for. As both an administrator and fellow teacher, you would understand the importance of our academic concerns, as well as the livelihood issues we have sought to draw your attention to. Hence it is our earnest appeal to you to intervene urgently, and ensure that English as an AEC course and also as a Core Language course in BA and B.Com Programme courses remains intact. This will protect the existing workload of English departments, while also crucially safeguarding the livelihood of hundreds of adhoc teachers working in English departments across the University, currently battling the pressures of uncertainty that these changes portend.