NEW DELHI: The Delhi Teachers' Federation (DTF) on Saturday raised concerns over the University of Delhi's reported move to invite colleges to start one-year postgraduate (PG) programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, following a message circulated by the University's Registrar to college principals.
According to the DTF, the Registrar's WhatsApp message informed principals that the first batch of four-year undergraduate students had completed the statutory requirements for the award of their degrees and asked colleges to indicate their willingness to offer one-year PG programmes by submitting proposals specifying courses and intake capacity.
The teachers' body claimed that the communication was followed by meetings in some colleges to discuss the proposal. It also referred to messages from at least one college administration stating that teaching for any such programme would be in addition to the existing workload of faculty members and that no guest faculty would be appointed.
In its statement, the DTF criticised the University's approach, alleging that such a significant academic decision had not been discussed in the University's statutory bodies before being communicated to colleges. The federation argued that the move raises concerns about planning and implementation, particularly as the University has already expanded undergraduate programmes under the National Education Policy (NEP) without a corresponding increase in infrastructure or teaching staff.
The federation also expressed concern over existing challenges in university departments, including space constraints and increased teaching and evaluation responsibilities under the current workload norms. It said that extending one-year PG teaching to colleges without additional resources could place further pressure on faculty and institutions.
The DTF further argued that students from the first four-year undergraduate batch had expected to pursue one-year postgraduate studies in university departments and that shifting part of the programme to selected colleges could create uncertainty. It also questioned the timing of the proposal, noting that admissions to the one-year PG programme are yet to begin while classes for the second year of the existing two-year postgraduate courses have already commenced.
The federation has urged the University to reconsider the proposal and called for wider academic consultation before introducing any changes.
