Delhi University academic council clears implementation of four-year integrated teacher education programme

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University's Academic Council has approved several resolutions, including some contentious ones like the implementation of a four-year integrated teacher education programme, despite dissent by some members. The council also cleared several syllabi changes, including the scrapping of a chapter on Muhammad Iqbal from the BA political science syllabus, officials aware of the matter said. The meeting, which began Friday, went on till 1:30 am on Saturday.

The council approved a resolution to replace the Bachelor of Elementary Education (B.El.Ed.) programme with the four-year integrated teacher education programme. Six members of the Academic Council dissented against the resolution, saying there was no consultation with teachers in this regard. "It is unfortunate that ITEP has been passed despite the dissent of the members. We will continue our fight to safeguard the interests of stakeholders,” AC elected member Maya John told PTI.

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Maya John was part of a group of members who dissented against the resolution. Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) will be replacing B.El.Ed. programme, which was introduced in 1994. The Delhi University was the only university to have its own integrated four-year programme. In their dissent notes, members have argued that the Committee of Courses and the Faculty of Education have been completely bypassed in bringing the NCTE notification on ITEP directly to the Academic Council. Another controversial resolution that was passed was related to capping the class size for lectures and tutorials at 60 and 30 students, respectively, for undergraduate programmes.

A section of AC members also opposed this resolution, saying the increase in the group size of lectures, tutorials and practicals is going to negatively impact the teaching-learning process. Syllabus of several semesters across courses were presented in the council and approved. The council also passed a motion to remove a chapter on Pakistan's national poet Muhammad Iqbal from the political science syllabus, members of the statutory body confirmed. Born in 1877 in Sialkot in undivided India, Iqbal wrote the famous song "Saare jahan se achcha". He is often credited with giving birth to the idea of Pakistan.

The chapter, titled 'Modern Indian Political Thought', is part of BA's sixth-semester paper, officials said, adding that the matter will now be presented before the Executive Council of the university that will take the final call. The council also passed resolutions to set up two new centres -- one related to Partition studies and another one on Tribal studies. Some of the members also issued dissent notes against the two resolutions. The Centre for Independence and Partition Studies will facilitate research on the "high voltage politics" accompanying the country's Partition and how the then central leadership failed to contain the "germs of separatism", they said.

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It will also focus on the "non-insistence of central leadership on having the Frontier Province with India" and the way the "Congress Working Committee consented to the Partition without consulting (Mahatma) Gandhi", according to the documents. Meanwhile, the new Centre on Tribal Studies will have seven major objectives, which include understanding the term "tribe" from an India-centric perspective and studying the "social, cultural, linguistic, religious, economic, and environmental diversity and commonalities" of different tribes.

During the zero hour, a section of Academic Council members raised a slew of issues including those related to displaced temporary and ad hoc teachers. The members also protested against a Delhi University notification asking colleges to remain open from 8 am to 8 pm without any discussion in the Academic Council and the Executive Council. According to the statement, the members “strongly fought” against salary delays and delay of grants and funds to 12 Delhi University colleges that are entirely funded by the Delhi government.