The Hindu : New Delhi News : DU teachers want new B.Sc. course reviewed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

DU teachers want new B.Sc. course reviewed

Staff Reporter

Academic dictatorship, alleges the Forum of Science Teachers

NEW DELHI: With barely two weeks to go before the admission process to Delhi University takes off, a section of the teaching community here has demanded postponement of the restructured B.Sc. programme till a comprehensive review is completed.

While extending their support to the University for a change in the course, the Forum of Science Teachers, however, noted that the change should be finalised through the participation of all teachers and that the structure should leave scope for students to pursue elective subjects of their choice. The B.Sc. (Group A) and B.Sc. (Group B) programmes are being replaced by a new course, B.Sc. Physical Sciences and B.Sc. Life Sciences, with another new course in the form of B.Sc. Biological Sciences also being introduced from the upcoming academic season.

As per the proposal, the first year would include foundation courses like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Electronics, Environmental Science and Technical Writing, with the discipline courses coming in the second year. This system, feel teachers, would mean that students study even those subjects that they did not have in their Class XII, burdening them in the process "without any corresponding academic benefit''.

Calling it "academic dictatorship", the Forum on Tuesday said, "a forced and rigid structure is imposed on all first year B.Sc. programme students belonging to Physical and Life Sciences and/or their applied counterparts. The student has no opportunity to pursue a discipline of his or her choice in any of the three years.''

Accusing the University of trapping the students into a course whose details are still unknown, the teachers say the course contents suggested in the first year programmes are unrealistic and vague. "The University has not made any provision for the required additional infrastructure such as classrooms, labs, equipment and chemicals. Providing the infrastructure requires at least six to eight months of preparation and a lot of financial assistance,'' the Forum said.

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