7/30/2019 Prof. Yashpal, Prof. U R Ananthamurthy, Prof. Romila Thapar, Prof. Namwar Singh

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Prof. Yashpal, Prof. U R Ananthamurthy, Prof. Romila Thapar, Prof. Namwar

Singh & Ashok Vajpeyi issue statement of concern regarding the FYUP

Kindly find below a statement of concern by eminent scholars and writers on the state of the

university of delhi. Former Chairman, UGC and sapce scientist Prof. Yash Pal, Man Booker

nominee of the year and author Prof. U R Ananthamurthy, historian Romila Thapar, CriticNamvar Singh and poet and former chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi,Ashok Vajpeyi have

jointly issued this statement :

The reports coming from Delhi University about its new undergraduate programmehave given us cause to feel greatly concerned. It seems that the university has failed to

create consensus within its own academic community over a major shift in a course

that affects a vast number of young people. By definition, a university is an institutionthat promotes a culture of dialogue and consensus. That a university itself should

become a deeply divided community augurs ill for our nation, especially because thepresent case pertains to Indias premiere university located in its capital.

We are distressed to hear that despite protests by senior scholars and public

intellectuals, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and theUniversity Grants Commission (UGC) have decided to maintain distance from the

conflict afflicting the University of Delhi. They have used the idea of autonomy of the

university to justify their decision to avoid intervention. In our view, this decision is

tantamount to abdication of responsibility. Autonomy does not give license to any

institution, let alone a university, to treat the education of young people in a

cavalier fashion. It is the duty of MHRD and UGC to inquire into the questionsraised by senior teachers and scholars about the quality of the new curriculum and themanner in which it was approved. It is also their legal responsibility to ensure that any

structural change in one university will not affect the careers of students belonging to

other universities. The 4-year course that Delhi University is determined to implement

goes beyond the National Policy on Education (1986) as it violates the 10+2+3structure mandated by the policy. Delhi University cannot be allowed to proceed with

its new course without revision of the national policy and adequate discussion that

such a revision would require.

We urge the Government of India and the President of India, who is also theVisitor of Delhi University, to intervene without further delay and save the lives

of lakhs of young men and women from being manipulated through an ill-

conceived educational experiment.

The least that the Government can do is to constitute a committee of nationally

recognized scholars to examine the proposed undergraduate programme before it is

operationalized.