DU teachers slam fourth-year credit changes, allege statutory bodies were bypassed

Delhi University has revised the fourth-year UGCF credit structure, increasing dissertation credits and replacing compulsory core papers with electives. Teachers have opposed the move, alleging it bypassed statutory bodies and could increase academic pressure on students and faculty.

In Short

• Academic track credits in the final year rise from 12 to 20
• Compulsory core papers are removed and shifted into the elective pool
• From 2026-27, students will combine academic tracks with three course options

A fresh controversy has erupted at Delhi University after the administration revised the credit structure for the fourth year of its Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF). According to the university, the changes are intended to strengthen the academic track by giving greater weight to dissertations and projects.

However, elected members of the Academic Council, Executive Council, and teachers' representatives have criticised the move, alleging that it was introduced without the approval of the university's statutory decision-making bodies.

UNIVERSITY REVISES FOURTH-YEAR CREDIT STRUCTURE

Delhi University on Friday issued a notification revising the credit distribution for the fourth year of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) under UGCF 2022.

Under the revised framework, the credits allocated to the academic track, including Dissertation, Academic Project, or Entrepreneurship, have been increased from six to 10 credits per semester. Consequently, the total credits for the academic track across semesters VII and VIII will rise from 12 to 20.

To accommodate this change, the university has decided to remove Discipline Specific Core (DSC) papers from semesters VII and VIII and place them under the Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) pool.

The notification stated that, from the 2026–27 academic session onwards, fourth-year students will study three courses in each of the final two semesters alongside their chosen academic track. Students will be able to choose from three combinations:

• Three Discipline Specific Electives (DSEs)
• Two DSEs and one Generic Elective (GE)
• One DSE and two GEs

The four credits earlier assigned to the compulsory DSC paper will now be added to the academic track, increasing its credit value to 10 credits in each semester.

TEACHERS ALLEGE STATUTORY BODIES WERE SIDELINED

The revised framework has drawn criticism from elected teacher representatives, who allege that the changes were introduced through a Registrar's notification without being placed before the Academic Council or the Executive Council.

Anumeha Mishra, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and an elected member of the Academic Council, questioned the decision-making process.

"By pushing through a drastic restructuring of the UGCF via a Registrar's notification and bypassing the Academic Council and Executive Council entirely, the University has completely disregarded the proper process. This decision will unrealistically burden fourth-year students," PTI quoted Anumeha Mishra as saying.

Mithuraaj Dhusiya, an elected member of the Executive Council, criticised what he called a top-down approach to academic policymaking, saying that major changes to the academic structure should not be made without discussions in statutory bodies such as the Academic Council and Executive Council.

Dhusiya further argued that replacing a compulsory core paper with an elective could dilute academic rigour and reduce the stable teaching workload available to departments and faculty members.

DTF RAISES CONCERNS OVER STUDENT AND FACULTY WORKLOAD

The Delhi Teachers' Front (DTF) also opposed the revised framework, questioning why such a significant academic policy change was implemented without convening meetings of the Academic Council or Executive Council.

DTF Secretary Abha Dev Habib asked whether the university's emergency powers justified bypassing the statutory bodies for a decision of this scale.

She argued that removing the only compulsory discipline-specific core paper in the fourth year would weaken students' academic foundation. At the same time, increasing dissertation credits from six to 10 would place additional academic pressure on students without ensuring adequate institutional support.

Habib also highlighted concerns over faculty workload, noting that teachers are already required to supervise up to 10 dissertation students alongside their regular teaching responsibilities. According to her, the revised framework could further increase academic stress for both students and teachers.

The revised fourth-year UGCF framework has sparked fresh debate at Delhi University, with teachers questioning both the changes and the process through which they were introduced. As the new structure is set to take effect from the 2026–27 academic session, the controversy is expected to keep the focus on transparency, academic governance, and the future of undergraduate education.

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