First-year undergraduate students at Delhi University’s Miranda House on Friday.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Delhi University (DU) on Friday commenced its new academic session and welcomed the first batch of fourth-year Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) students.
“Of 66,000 FYUP [third-year] students, 30,014 students [45%] have opted out of the fourth year,” DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh told The Hindu.
On concerns over the lack of infrastructure and staff for fourth year FYUP students, the V-C said, “Everything is sorted out now, and if there are any issues, we will resolve them gradually.”
Several colleges conducted their orientation programme on Friday, while the remaining will hold it on Monday. Teachers reported low attendance among fourth year students, but they expect a good turnout on Monday.
Hectic schedule
The university notified on Thursday that it has advised colleges to extend their timings. “The Executive Council noted that the university has already advised the colleges/institutions to function from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for optimal utilisation of the available resources. In order to achieve this and to ensure availability of faculty and staff during the period, the deployment of faculty and staff will be staggered,” the notice read.
Objecting to the notification, Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a professor and member of Executive Council, said, “The latest DU notification is extremely problematic. It directs colleges to adopt an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule, which poses significant safety risks to students and teachers. Moreover, making students stay for long hours is neither feasible nor practical. It just shows that DU is not prepared for the fourth-year students on both counts – infrastructure and workforce.”
A teacher at a DU college, who did not wish to be named, said, “Though, we have devised a timetable, there is not enough infrastructure. Multiple classes are already being held in several rooms. There are no additional desks for fourth-year students.”
Rudrashish Chakraborty, Associate Professor at the Department of English of Kirori Mal College, said, “It is unclear how the evening colleges will follow the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule.”
Third list
Meanwhile, the university on Friday announced the third round of admissions for the undergraduate courses. The vacant seats will be displayed on August 8, with the third list releasing on August 13. The admission process will be completed by August 19.
Published – August 02, 2025 01:04 am IST
