PEDAGOGY OF THE POWERLESS

After various permutations, combinations and experimentations, Indian education finally settled for 10+2+3+2 pattern from the primary to the postgraduate levels. But all of a sudden there was an implosion in the Delhi University. The Vice-Chancellor , with a supporting cohort , decided to introduce a 4-year Bachelor's degree followed by an 1-year Master's degree by research. This unilateral decision was made possible because of the paralysis of the UPA's policy makers and the HRD Ministry. The 4-year Bachelor's degree may give more learning time ,  and load the tired and bored students with more information while diminishing absorption of real learning will be the end result. An one-year Master's degree by research is attractive to label , but a counter productive academic measure in the present research scenario in India. The decision of a 4-year Bachelor's degrree by the Delhi University lacks a sound rationale of the coverage of the curricula at the first degree level without consideration for the employability and the educational mobility of the students. As far as the duration, why 4 years, why not 3 1/4, 3 1/2 , or 3 3/4 years? By creating an Exclusive Degree Club, inclusive education is a given a farewell by the self-admiring educationists at the Delhi University. They never bothered about consensus-building on an issue that affects the future of millions of our young students. They had least concern for the financial burden of such an extended degree. Their decision created academic chaos in our education system.A decision of this nature ought to have been linked to a human resource policy. But where is such a policy in India ? In the US, employment / unemployment data is available month-wise. But in India, such data is collected once in five years: that too fudged statistics.  In May 2014, the powerless voted out the bedridden and the paralytic UPA rulers, and elected a new government with great expectations. BJP is committed to the abolition of the reckless experimentation of the Delhi University TUGLAQS. History has given Smriti Irani, our HRD Minister a great opportunity to abolish this 4-year disastrous degree with the Prime Minister's support.