4-year degree will hurt dalits, poor’
NEW DELHI: Fresh apprehensions are coming in against the introduction of the four-year undergraduate programme in Delhi University from the current academic year.
According to a letter to the Prime Minister signed by former justice of Delhi high court and president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties Rajinder Sachar, veteran journalist and former high commissioner to United Kingdom Kuldip Nayar, former Maharashtra home minister Bhai Vaidya, Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey, PUCL vice-president Ravi Kiran Jain and senior advocate and historian Anil Nauriya, “The impact on minorities/ SC/ ST/ OBC and financially weaker sections must be taken into consideration before such a plan is implemented.”
The letter also punctures the claims of the university that the anti-FYUP struggle has been predominantly led by a “small” group of Left-backed teachers. The signatories of the letter have urged a national-level debate stating that DU does not exist in isolation.
“Several educationists and intellectuals all over the country have expressed their apprehensions about the merit of this decision. We, too, believe that such a basic change in the higher education system and policy should be first examined by the ministry of human resource development and parliament in consultation with prominent educationists. The DU does not exist in isolation. If this change is so important, it should be implemented at the national level. DU can wait for a couple of years in the best interest of students nationwide.”
Joint Action Front for Democratic Education convener and president of Indian Justice Party Udit Raj said that FYUP is a “conspiracy to stop India from becoming the world’s biggest knowledge society” and that it will influence higher education policy in the country which will, in turn, have an adverse effect on the interests of SC/ ST/ OBC who are only now entering higher education.
“Various representations to different authorities like MHRD, Prime Minister and the President have been made and yet there is no reconsideration. What forces are behind this move? Obviously the ground is being made ready for privatization of higher education. The SC, ST and OBC will be most affected not only because of the increased financial burden on them but also on many other counts such as course content, internal assessment and background. Instead of increasing the duration of the programme, attempts should be made to enrich the course content. Private colleges and universities have more elasticity to adopt the four-year programme which will accelerate privatization and these communities will be the worst-affected. Higher education in India is associated with higher social status, high income and better job. This is not the case in the United States. FYUP will not only lead to more dropouts but also make higher education inaccessible to these communities,” Udit Raj said.
Source: The Times of India
