The 92nd Foundation Day celebration of Delhi University was marked by many firsts. For the first time, DU came up with a feedback report on the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) introduced by the varsity amongst much debate last year. Also, in a novel move, the varsity felicitated 39 teachers to recoginse their excellence in teaching and public service.
At the same time, feedback on ‘lax teachers’ was also officially invited and received, for the first time, at the varsity level, introducing a new trend in the functioning of Delhi
University.
The process of collecting feedback from students and teachers on the controversial FYUP started a year back with the formation of the ‘Student Empowerment Committe.’ On the occassion of Foundation Day, Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh informed that 80 per cent of students had given a positive response on the programme. Further, many teachers teaching the Foundation Courses and Discipline-I subjects were felicitated.
Malay Neerav, co-convenor of the committee and the newly-appointed media coordinator of Delhi University, informed Metrolife, “This survey was done with the aim of hearing out all concerned stakeholders on the newly-introduced changes. We met principals, teachers, students and coordinators of first-year studies, in as many as 37 colleges, to get to know their opinions as well as iron out issues, if any.”
“At the same time,” he added, “First-year students of each college were asked to identify any one outstanding teacher who has taught them. In two colleges of the 37 we covered, two teachers got equal number of votes and we decided to honour both of them. These awards were purely on the basis of student nomination with no bias on the part of DU administration involved.” Only one teacher of the 39 chosen refused the award.
The media coordinator informed that in subsequent years, the award function will be extended to second, third and fourth year teachers as well and their good work will not go unrecognised.