The proposal for the dual degree programme gained approval at the academic council meeting held recently. Opposition to this decision became evident as some council members voiced their reservations.
On 30th November 2023, the Academic Council of University of Delhi held a meeting where the decision was taken to proceed with the implementation of a dual degree system starting from the next academic session. The program will involve a combination of traditional and remote classes, giving students a chance to accumulate additional academic experience within the standard time frame. Moreover, the possibility of providing twinning degrees was also taken into discussion. A program enabling Delhi University students to pursue a degree from select foreign institutions with which the university plans to establish partnerships. However, the decision has currently been deferred.
In December, 2022 the university put together a committee to discuss the potential idea of twinning, joint and dual degrees, keeping in mind the guidelines issued by the National Education Policy 2020. 11 months later, while most council members gave the proposal a thumbs up, 15 of them raised some genuine concerns. It was argued that offering students dual degrees will dilute the value of their main subject, given the full-time nature of their academic programmes, and put more strain on students and teachers alike. Former Executive Council member Abha Dev Habib pointed out that the students will benefit more from “quality education and not a bag full of degrees.” Despite the apprehensions that came to light, the resolution was approved and starting next session, both undergraduate and postgraduate students keen on pursuing a dual degree can communicate so to their respective colleges. The proper procedure will be laid down by the university, which will include both in- person and distance-learning models as mentioned before.
The 1016th meeting of the Academic Council of University of Delhi under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh also discussed the number of undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD admissions that were made this academic year, the few modalities made in the syllabus for the current academic session, the new orphan quota and awarded a total of 6115 promotions to professors of the university.
Featured image credits: www.du.ac.in
Lakshita Arora
