Youths from Bihar studying in different colleges under Delhi University are up in arms against the varsity’s decision to introduce a four-year undergraduate programme from the coming academic session.

Under the new system, the students have to take up 11 mandatory foundation courses in the first two years followed by two discipline courses, including the subject for major. (See chart) The admission process starts from next month.

Scattered across the DU colleges, the students from Bihar have been holding meetings to discuss the proposed changes for the past few weeks. They contend that the system would be against their academic interest as well as add to financial woes because of an additional year. At the 64 colleges under DU, there are as many as 54,000 seats. More than half of the students are estimated to be from Bihar.

Prashant Ojha, a final-year English student at Ramjas College from Saharsa, said: “Though the new format will not directly affect those of us who are already enrolled, we are against the proposal as it has more drawbacks than benefits. Students join undergraduate courses to study a particular subject but now they will have to study the 11 fundamental subjects. It makes no sense. For a major, one will have to spend four years in the university, which would be a burden for thousands of students coming from financially poor backgrounds.”

Darbhanga’s Kamal Kanth said: “A lot of students from Bihar come to DU to prepare for the civil services exams. The system will allow students to leave the course with an associate degree after two years but it won’t have any recognition in the competitive exams and the job market.”

The students have found support from some teachers.

“The move, if anything, will only ruin the university and the career of the coming generations. If the academic council goes ahead and forces the system, the university will go from being the top academic destination in India to the worst as it plays with the fundamentals of the present academic system. We have convened a general body meeting on May 12 to decide our future course of action,” said Amar Deo Sharma, the president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association.

Other teachers sought to allay the fears expressed by the students.

“Some people are resisting it (the system) just for the heck of it. This will sync the university’s education system with that of international standards and make our students more ready for jobs,” said Aditya Narayan Mishra, a former president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association.

Kirori Mal College student Shourya Roy, a core committee member of a forum of Bihar and eastern UP students at the varsity, said: “We understand that the upcoming programme might be dangerous for the academic growth of students. However, there is little we can do about it now. We are trying to understand the nuances of the proposed model so that our forum can help applicants from Bihar from next month.”