DU: Delhi University on Thursday urged colleges not to schedule two consecutive theory or practical value addition courses (VAC). "This came as some colleges were scheduling two consecutive Value Addition Course classes. The move would be detrimental to students' learning experiences," the university said.
"In light of this, it is advised that the value addition course schedule should not include two consecutive theory/practical classes. Colleges should not allocate more than two hours per day for Value Addition Courses," the notification stated.
"These instructions must be adhered to meticulously," the university added. However, the new guidelines have faced significant criticism from within the academic community.
Mithuraj Dhusiya, a member of the Delhi University Academic Council, termed it just cosmetic changes, saying these are not enough.
"Students and teachers have been consistently questioning the relevance of these VAC courses at a time when more time needs to be devoted to discipline-specific specialisation," said Dhusiya. Adding to the criticism, Abha Dev, Associate Professor at Miranda Hdase, pointed out the procedural and practical issues.
"The Competent Authority blames colleges for scheduling four continuous hours for VAC courses. The notice remains silent on the fact that these decisions are not taken by colleges but by the Cluster Coordinators who are appointed by the same Competent Authority. Today, colleges have to wait for VAC and SEC slots to be decided by the Cluster Coordinators before any timetable exercise can even begin," Dev added.