Delhi University (DU) will set its academic calendar back to the pre-pandemic schedule this year after three years of disruption, PTI reported, since the classes for undergraduate (UG) programmes are scheduled to begin on August 16.
This year, however, the students will have a more synchronised calendar, the officials said. "The new academic session of Delhi University would start from August 16," a DU official said.
The university will also hold its first students' union election since 2020, officials said, adding that the poll is likely to be conducted in September or October.
The admission process is currently underway at the university and today, August 7, was the last day for the first round of seat allocation.
DU offers 71,000 seats across 78 undergraduate programmes and 198 BA programme combinations through its 68 colleges.
Pandemic’s effects
The pandemic had disturbed the academic calendar which resulted in a few-day break or no break across colleges, PTI added.
It also impacted the uniformity of semesters as classes were starting at different times.
Not only this but the faculty had also been demanding a one-month compulsory break as “continuous working was impacting their mental health”, the varsity said.
This year, new courses are being introduced including three BTech programmes and five-year LLB. DU has also given a choice to its students to opt for three-year or four-year programmes.
More changes this year
Moreover, several controversial changes have been made to the curriculum.
The university has removed a chapter on Pakistan's national poet Muhammad Iqbal from the Political Science syllabus. The chapter titled 'Modern Indian Political Thought' is part of BA's sixth-semester paper.
After the protest, DU's political science department reinstated the Gandhi and the Contemporary World paper in the revised syllabus of semester IV.
The admissions in BA fine arts in the College of Arts will also be done through the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) this year.
Additionally, the varsity has also included a supernumerary quota for orphan students this year, added PTI.
"The University of Delhi and affiliated colleges will admit two candidates (one male and one female) under this quota in each programme at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels," the official said.
