Following the course of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), DU may scrap the M. Phil program hitherto offered to students, from the academic year 2022-23. The changes slated to come are as per the recommendations of a 42 member High-powered Committee (HPC).
Read further for details.
HPC Suggestions
As a step towards successful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), Delhi University is likely to scrap its M.Phil Program. Students looking forward to a PhD degree have primarily pursued the program till now. The recommendation came during a meeting conducted on August 18, 2021, among several DU officials and the High Standing Committee (HPC). The meeting was chaired by DU Vice-Chancellor Pooran Chand Joshi and attended by senior DU officials including Director South Campus, Dean Examination, Dean Academic Activities & Projects.
The HPC further suggested that DU keep its three-year undergraduate (UG) program but “assimilate in its framework” a four-year degree program. As per the suggestions, DU is to also develop one-year and two-year postgraduate programs. DU has already formed a NEP Implementation Committee (NIC) to sort out the details.
Changes to Come
As per the suggested changes under NEP, students shall be eligible to seek admission to PhD courses after post-graduation without enrolling themselves in M.Phil. “Undertaking a PhD shall require either a Master’s degree or a four-year Bachelor’s degree with Research. The MPhil program shall be discontinued,” the NEP states. A four-year Bachelor’s course would include one year of research.
Educational institutions will also offer a two-year Master’s program. The second year of Masters education will be centered around research. This is to equip those students who have pursued a three years Bachelor’s degree with the required skills.
The committee emphasized upon ensuring the uncompromised, continued quality of current courses. Therefore, the existing programs shall continue by adopting additional elements.
While referring to the discussion around NEP, Registrar Vikas Gupta said, “We don’t have the mandate to reject it. The 42 member High-Powered Committee looked at it, the NIC’s recommendations were put on the website, it will now be discussed in the Standing Committee and the AC. We’re following all the rules. If we don’t start now, we won’t be able to implement it in 2022.” (quote from The Indian Express)
For more DU updates, click here.
